Rainbow Phoenix
by Lady Starwing
Summary: Kratos died with Anna, leaving Lloyd to be raised by Yuan in the Renegades. Of course, when you have a snippy gold dragon riding on your shoulder, spirits meddling with your life, and demons trying to take over Aselia, things are going to get interesting.
1. Opening Night

_Oh my, uhm, how to start this … Oh!! Hello, this is Li-chan0767 here with the revised version of "Rainbow Phoenix", chapter one!!! Don't get me wrong, the story isn't being changed, I just … really didn't care all that much for chapter one. -.- It's too choppy, and while the song does fit the mood, it really screws the fic over … for those of you who haven't read the original chapter one, don't sweat it; this says basically the same thing, but it's written better._

_ANYWAY, I do not own anything save for Leila!!!_

**Rainbow Phoenix**

―鳳―

**1. Opening Night**

The rain fell heavily upon the earth, but Yuan couldn't feel any of it; his body had grown numb long ago, and all he could do was stare at the two bodies before him. The wounds might be easily mistaken for any wound a person would receive from a Desian's sword, but he knew better, oh, he knew much better than that. No Desian would be able to best Kratos Aurion, not in this lifetime. "You … damned hypocrite." Yuan hissed, falling to his knees as he glared at the body of the auburn. "You … damn, idiotic, hypocritical … human."

He'd been so close, too; all he had needed to do was extend his wings and fly towards the other angel, and then wrestle the sword from him. Yuan swore and punched the ground beside him; trying to do something like that would have been hard normally, but a grief ridden Kratos?? No, he wouldn't have gotten the hand and a half sword away from him if he tried.

"What about Lloyd, eh? What about your kid; did you want to make him suffer too?" Yuan hissed, his eyes blurry from pent up tears and frustration; he couldn't cry, wouldn't cry, but he so wanted to do just that. But now, he had a job to do, and a promise to fulfill to both Kratos and his "wife", Anna. "Yggdrasil will kill him or something to that extent … I can't take Lloyd up there." Yuan told himself, rising slowly and spreading his wings. In one hand he subconsciously held onto a locket by its chain, but he didn't seem to notice it as he warped away, up into the heavens.

―鳳―

(Welgaia …)  
Mithos Yggdrasil turned to look at Pronyma as she approached, a smirk working its way onto his face. "Ah, Pronyma; have you any word on what has happened to my wayward Seraphim? Or perhaps, something new about this "Angelus Project" that K'var was designing without my consent?" He asked her coldly, the wicked light in his eyes betraying the insanity that had possessed him ever since his sister's death. Pronyma looked up at him, her gaze shifty.

"Unfortunately, I have no news on either of them, but I did happen to see Lord Yuan just now; he was walking to where Lord Kratos' chambers were, but he seemed to be running on autopilot. He looked like someone had just given him an execution date." Hoping that Yggdrasil wouldn't kill her for continuing, she added on, "And there was apparently a calamity just outside of the Luin Ranch a few moments ago; K'var left for some reason or another, and never came back. One of the men that had gone with him seemed to be frightened beyond his wits." Yggdrasil's eyes narrowed.

"You said that Yuan was headed for Kratos' rooms?" He asked, chewing on his lower lip. When Pronyma nodded, his eyes narrowed more. "Very well; I will go and speak with him; inform me on the details about this incident concerning K'var after I return." He instructed, vanishing from the room as soon as she had nodded.

Arriving in Kratos' chambers, Yggdrasil looked around and spotted Yuan a few feet away, his eyes locked on a picture that he held in his hands. "Ah, Yuan; I was informed that you might be here." He said coolly, wondering how the older angel would react; Yuan didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence, because he didn't so much as twitch when Yggdrasil spoke. Scowling, the blond continued, "But I must ask, what are you doing up here? Perhaps you've finally figure out where Kratos-"

"Dead."

"I beg your pardon?" Yggdrasil said coldly, startled not only by the word that had been said, but by the way Yuan had interrupted him. Even more shocking was when the same angel glared at him over his shoulder, his emerald green eyes bloodshot and wet. "Unless I'm mistaken, did you just tell me that Kratos is no longer with us?"

"This shocks you?" Yuan retorted instantly, voice venomous. Yggdrasil glared right back at him. Floating closer, he moved around in front of Yuan and locked eyes with the cobalt.

"While you might be close to my dear sister, that does not mean I appreciate the snide remarks, Yuan." He stated coldly, reaching out to grasp Yuan's shirt. "Now tell me … what on earth are you imply -- !!" Yggdrasil's sentence was cut off as Yuan – his temper finally snapping – turned around and landed a rather painful right hook on Yggdrasil's face.

"HE KILLED HIMSELF, DAMN IT!!!" He hollered, the stinging in his eyes growing harder to contain. "HE TOOK FLAMBERGE AND DROVE IT THROUGH HIS HEART!!! … All because you, and your damn greed that made you, had his wife turned into a monster … RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR CHILD!!!!" From nowhere, a bolt of white hot lightning fell, clearly expressing Yuan's rage. Yggdrasil, for the first time in his life since Martel's death, felt horrified by the sight before him, and he backed up a few paces as Yuan backed him into a corner.

Stopping directly in front of the younger angel, Yuan glared harshly, lightning beginning to race up and down his form. He was far passed angry now. "But was that enough for you? No ... never." He hissed, some of the lightning sparking towards Yggdrasil. "I think it's a good thing that K'var couldn't find Lloyd after his parents died; he would have gone through hell either way! On one hand, he would've been the host for the Angelus Project, or you would've turned him into Origin's Seal …" More lightning appeared, and Yggdrasil knew that he had to either get away or try to appease Yuan, and soon; while the lightning did not bother the elemental, it hurt like hell to be hit with.

Almost as if sensing what Yggdrasil was saying, Yuan turned around, hissing out, "I'll leave you to think for a while, seeing as how you can hardly comprehend human emotion nowadays." With that, he was gone – he needed to speak with Origin.

―鳳―

_(Torent Forest …)_

Yuan warped into existence directly in front of Origin's seal, and to his shock, the spirit was already present, speaking with a large golden dragon. _Leila, as much as I appreciate your concern, it would not be wise for Lloyd to stay with you._ Origin was telling the dragon, who snorted in annoyance.

**Whether it would be good for him or not is irrelevant, Origin; with what Verius has done to help him, it would be best for the boy to be taken somewhere safe until he can fully recover from the trauma.** The dragon – apparently named Leila – retorted, her violet eyes narrowed; for some reason, she reminded Yuan of an irate Martel.

"What happened to Lloyd!?" Yuan interjected, making both Origin and Leila look at him; Origin was clearly startled.

_Yuan, when did you arrive?_ The Spirit King asked; Yuan ignored him.

"Where's Lloyd?" He demanded, crossing his arms; he knew that he couldn't beat Origin one-on-one, but he did have a promise to fulfill, and there was very little that was going to stop him from doing that. Origin was about to respond when a small voice behind all three of them beat him to it.

"Uncle Yun …??" Off to one side, hidden by a large tree, was a teenage boy that looked like Lloyd and spoke with the toddler's voice; Yuan gaped. The boy that seemed to be Lloyd gasped again and started to run towards him, only to trip. "Uncle!!!" When the toddler in the teenage body reached him, Yuan wrapped both arms around him and held him close as he sobbed away.

" … What's happened to him?" He asked Origin, who grimaced.

_The trauma over what had happened to his parents was … fatal … if you will, for someone of his size._ The Spirit King said softly, looking at the sobbing Lloyd. _Verius brought him here as soon as he possibly could, and well … Lloyd was like this. Verius refused to elaborate on why he did so, however._ With that, Origin sighed. _It would be best if you left now; Mithos will come looking for him shortly, and I am willing to bet that he will come here first._

"… Alright …" Yuan sighed in defeat, and then stood up, shaking Lloyd's shoulders. "We're going, Lloyd." He said simply, making the boy look up at him with teary eyes. After a moment, he nodded.

**And I am coming as well.** Leila stated adamantly, shrinking to the size of a dragonet and flying over to Lloyd's shoulder. The boy didn't twitch away from her, not even when she gripped his hair in her claws when she turned to glare at Origin. **Don't bother trying to stop me, you hear? I won't be very happy if you do.** Origin simply glared, irate. Yuan looked at the dragonet sternly.

"As long as you stay out of trouble, I have no issues." He said simply, before nodding to Origin. "Until next time, then," with that statement, the three warped towards the Renegade Base. Origin stayed put for a while, and then sighed heavily.

_The wheels of fate have begun to turn already …_ he said to none, looking up at the cloudy sky. _History is repeating itself, and I do hope that it can be stopped once again …_

―鳳―

_Whew!! This is so much better than the beginning that I had up here before!!! ^w^ _

_Keep on reading, please!!!_


	2. Plan of Action

_**Lei:**__ Whew! I've gots a free day in class, so…Here's chapter…Well, it's for…Which muse is gonna show!?!?_

_**Kratos:**__ Why can't I kill you yet?_

_**Lei:**__ Okay, RbPx chapt 2 is going up! –dances- Yay! People haven't killed me yet! Now give disclaimer, o deceased Kratos-sama!_

_**Kratos:**__ -eye twitches- Leichan0767 does not own Tales of Symphonia. She does own Leila the dragon._

2. Plan of action

"So…Now that Origin's got that settled, now I just have to hide you for the next…thirteen years?" Yuan sighed, looking Lloyd in the eye. "And if what he says is right, you can go back to your old form, and not be stuck in this one." He told the boy, who was absently running a hand over Leila's neck. He nodded, and in a pale flash of light, was back to being the adorable little toddler that he had been, if slightly odd.

"This just came to me, why **did** Verius age your body that fast?" Yuan asked after a minute, watching the toddler play with the equally diminutive dragonet. Lloyd looked up and shrugged.

_If you're so curious as to why, you could've just asked me._ Verius' voice sighed from thin air, and the spirit appeared in a flash of pink light. Leila, who wasn't used to things appearing from nowhere, squawked and launched herself at the spirit, only to fall through the spectral body. Verius looked at her.

"That feels rather queer, little dragon." He stated dryly. "Don't do that again…" Lloyd giggled.

"Silly Leila…" He giggled, pulling the dragonet over to him by her tail. Leila made an indignant noise-whether from being dragged by her tail of for falling through a certain summon spirit, Yuan didn't know. He simply turned to the large kitsune and asked, "Well why did you enhance Lloyd's growth, although temporarily?"

"If he'd been small like this," Verius pointed at the toddler with a tail, "the trauma would've killed him, and if it hadn't, he would've been emotionally hampered for the rest of his life." Yuan felt himself shiver.

"What do you mean by…hampered?"

"Basically, he would be like the Chosen of mana after they loose their souls at the Tower. An emotionless puppet that would've proven perfect for a seal." Verius spoke without remorse, onyx eyes locked onto Yuan's green ones. "Even though Origin has that planned something along those lines, Lloyd is still too young to go through such a painful ordeal."

"You call the angel transformation painless?!" Yuan cried out in shock. Lowering his voice so as to not draw attention, he added, "I was in pain for weeks, and that was only because I was a half-elf. Kratos get it worse because he was a **human!**" Verius calmly waited for the Seraph to finish ranting before continuing.

"That may be true…but you forget that Lloyd was **born** with angelic mana in him. It won't cause him pain at all." He explained, eyes looking at the now asleep toddler, with the golden dragon curled up beside him. "I truly wish that he did not have to go through with this, but if Yggdrasil finds him alive, he will be made a seal and locked up in Welgaia for eternity, and the worlds shall perish." Stretching, he added, "And there is also the fact that all nine Devils' Arms are now present in the worlds, and that the Guardian Blades are all but useless as of now…"

"Flamberge…" Yuan muttered, eyes widening. He hadn't seen that sword after it had been pulled from Kratos' corpse, and if an ordinary person found it… "Where is it?"

"Origin hid it in Torent Forest, but nowhere near where his seal is located." Verius assured him. "None should find it, unless they just so happen to be with Lloyd…" Yuan sighed.

"That's a relief." He admitted. "Now I just need to work out a plan of action for keeping Lloyd occupied for the next thirteen years before I have to bring him back to Origin…" The renegade leader sighed; he was not cut out to be a babysitter…Verius must've found it amusing, for he chuckled while he left. Yuan made a mental note to hurt the spirit of heart as soon as he gained his body before he stood and walked over to where Lloyd laid on the floor, fast asleep. Reaching down and scooping the toddler up, he headed for one of the unused rooms in a closed off part of the base.

It was fairly dusty inside the room, making Yuan groan. Leila, who had clambered up onto his shoulder when he saw that the Seraph had picked up her toddler (A/N: Leila's kinda possessive of Lloydie when he's small…), sneezed loudly. The renegade gave her a look before setting about with the dusting and general cleaning.

--

(half-hour later…)

By the time the room was suitable for a young child to inhabit, Yuan was fully fed up with the whole thing. It had been a week since Kratos had been killed, Yggdrasil was a fully ticked off monster, Lloyd was now in his (Yuan's) care, and he was sure as hell not the type of guy who would make a good parent.

"Why do the fates hate me so!?" he asked nobody in particular, making Leila snort out her own particular little laugh. "Stuff it, midget." He growled at the dragon, who snarled back. "The only reason I'm letting you stay is because Lloyd would pitch a fit if I threw you out." Standing, he picked the dragonet up roughly around her torso so that he could stare right back into her midnight violet eyes. "Behave, or you will be thrown out." Leila growled incoherently and dropped to the ground, but not before she bit one of Yuan's fingers.

Cursing under his breath as he tucked the still sleeping Lloyd into bed and exited the room, he examined the bite marks on his finger. Dragons have really sharp teeth, and even though he honestly couldn't feel the pain from being bitten, he could see the tiny beads of blood from the punctures. Casting a First Aid on himself, he left to deal with the reports that had accumulated over the week. When he picked up the first one, he nearly dropped it in shock.

_K'var brutally killed outside his ranch. A large rainbow and ruby bird was seen in the air shortly after the killing. It was singing a song that would've made even the most cold-hearted villain sigh._ There was only one type of bird that fit that description, and to have it strike down the person responsible for killing Lloyd's parents…

Mind scrambling, he remembered Kratos saying once that birds were a powerful symbol in his family, but that was all. He never elaborated on what the birds actually **did**. But if this was the bird he thought it was, and if Lloyd's small wings were a sing of what bird the family placed with him…

"My goddess…K'var was killed by…

"That bird that killed him was a Phoenix."

_**Lei:**__ Whew! Got that done! Also gave a bit of explination for what I've done for this story so far._

_**Kratos:**__ What do you mean my family honors birds?_

_**Lei:**__ -grabs Kratos' cape- You've got a cape modled after a swallow's kitetail!! One of Lloyd's moves is called Rising Falcon!! His one hit KO move is falcon crest!! Your family has a frickin bird fetish!!!_

_**Kratos:**__ …Sad to say, I can see what angle you're coming from. –to readers- Please review…-to lei- no making Lloyd evil!_

_**Lei:**__ I won't!! I'll leave that to Sage! _


	3. In Mizuho

_**Lei:**__ Sorry that this has taken so long to update. –sighs- had writer's block for how to go about with this chapter…_

_**Ghost-Kratos:**__ And why is that? …Oh, that's right, Sheena appears in this one…and you also reveal a few stunts with Leila…_

_**Lei:**__ yep. Plus my story "Broken" has kinda edged out as my most popular story right now…-ducks as Kratos swings rather solid Flamberge at head upon mentioning named fic- WAIT!!! I just have the first two acts up! Don't kill me yet and give disclaimer!!!(Kratos-sama doesn't like that story, for a few reasons…)_

_**G-Kratos:**__ -growls- Leichan0767 does not own ToS._

_TIME JUMP!!!_

"**Dragonic"**

3. in Mizuho

"Yuan…where are we going again?" Lloyd asked for what had to be the fifth time that week, making the seraph in front of him twitch involuntarily. True, he had promised the boy's deceased parents that he'd hide him from Yggdrasil, but damn it was rough. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the seven-year-old had a hand on one of his swords, something that his father had done before. Leila was awake and alert on his shoulder, so that if any tried to assault the boy, they would find themselves either being bitten where it really hurt (A/N: Guys, you know where I'm talking about! XD others were bitten in the neck) or they would have acid spat into an eye.

"Mizuho, Lloyd." Botta reminded him, the brunette half-elf lightly nudging a couple Renegade infantrymen into moving quieter. The man seemed to do a better job of looking out for Lloyd that Yuan, but he didn't care; as long as he didn't fall into Cruxis' hands or get himself killed, Kratos and Anna couldn't haunt him for all of eternity.

"Oh…" Lloyd replied to Botta's statement, his other hand going to stroke Leila's neck, making her coo happily. Yuan had thought that with the golden dragon attacking anyone who insulted her master, Lloyd wouldn't bother learning weaponry and would instead focus on magical arts. And yet the boy had asked for a pair of swords-one was understandable, but two? Nonetheless, Yuan had managed to get a pair of cheap wooden swords with the promise to buy the nicer Mizuho-made ones once they reached the village. Botta oversaw the boy's swordsman training whilst Yuan handled the magic and the angelic transformation-Lloyd has just finished the second step a few days previously. (1)

"What was that?" Lloyd was pointing up at the sky just as a bolt of heat lightning struck the area that he and the others were headed for. Several of the Renegades gasped and drew weapons, whilst Botta simply stared at Yuan, who looked shocked and confused at the same time. Lloyd looked between the two half-elves that stood there before sneaking off into a small alcove he had spotted earlier.

"That was Volt's Lightning Strike attack!" he exclaimed, eyes growing wide. "But what is Volt even doing awake?" For four thousand years, each of the Summon Spirits had slept, due to the lack of summoners. If Volt had been woken up, that meant that another summoner was alive. If Yggdrasil found out, the person would be dead. But the Renegades needed a summoner to make a pact with Origin-the only summon spirit that had a reason to be awake, but wasn't _supposed_ to be-in future years; this might be the chance to recruit one. Nodding to the Renegades, Yuan and the group-minus Lloyd-headed for the village.

(Lloyd)

The small tenshi (A/N: Japanese for heavenly being/angel. Ten'nyo is heavenly maiden) moved quietly through the underbrush, ignoring Leila's indignant squeaking when a branch or two poked her.

'**Angeling (2), why are we headed this way?'** she demanded after about five minutes, her mental voice echoing in Lloyd's mind. He'd known about her talent to project her thoughts into his head, but it was still slightly disconcerting; that's why he spoke aloud to her.

"**I thought I heard someone this way. They sounded like they were crying."** He explained, ducking beneath another tree limb as he continued walking. **"It might be a survivor from Volt's rampage, or it might be an injured innocent. Then again…it could also be a monster, but hey; I can get away if it's the last one."**

'**I always forget how selfless you can be sometimes, angeling.'** Leila retorted, shielding her face with her scaled wings. The light reflected off of golden scales right into a bush, making something inside it shriek, which in turn made Lloyd jump. Walking over to the bush, he parted the branches-with more squawking from Leila, who disliked getting poked by branches-to find a girl around his age cowering in fear.

"I'm sorry!!! I don't want to die Volt!!" She cried, face buried in her arms. Lloyd gave her a quick shake on the knee.

"Hey, girl, I'm not Volt; I'm Lloyd." He spoke gently, making her look up in shock. Deep brown eyes, reddened by crying, stared into the wine red orbs of the person who saved her. She didn't even notice Leila at first, more focused on who this strange boy was and where he had come from.

"Lloyd? Who names their kid that anymore?" she asked, wondering how he would react. To her shock, the boy gave a very laid back shrug.

"My father was…kind of old fashioned." 'Not to mention old as dirt.' Lloyd thought, sitting down in front of Sheena. "I'm just glad I was named this instead of some of the other names they came up with."

"Which were?" the girl asked, shifting so that she was in a more comfortable position. She was dressed like one of the people from Mizuho, so it was safe to assume she was a ninja.

"I don't know; I just know that Lloyd is the name that I would get picked on the least for." Stretching his arms, he added, "What's your name; I can't call you girl, that's rude."

"…Sheena. Sheena Fujibayashi." Sheena responded, eyes scanning Lloyd again. This time, however, she noticed Leila, and toppled backwards with a squeak and a cry of, "_Ryuu!"_

"Huh?" Lloyd asked, assuming ryuu was a Mizuhoen word. Leila snorted, flapping her wings.

'**You think she never saw a dragonet before, silly gixie.' **She relayed to Lloyd, who stroked her neck to calm her. Reaching over, he helped Sheena sit up again.

"What'd you say?" He asked, genuinely curious. "This is Leila, and she won't attack you unless you offend her." Sheena looked nervously at the small golden beast, trembling slightly.

"You've managed to tame a ryuu?" She asked in shock, eyes flickering over to Lloyd in a heartbeat. When she saw the confused look she was getting, she sighed. "Ryuu means dragon in Mizuhoen." Lloyd made a small 'oh' noise before shaking his head.

"To be accurate, I guess you can say Leila adopted me…in a sense…" He explained, rubbing a hand down Leila's neck. "When I was about yay high-" holding a hand about three and a half feet from the ground, he continued, "I wandered into the place where she was living, pretty banged up. She took pity on me, since it seems she can't have her own little ones…"

'**I **_**can **_**have hatchlings; I just don't **_**like**_** any of the males of my kind. They're so pushy and arrogant.' **Leila retorted, grumbling slightly. Lloyd ignored her. "She took care of me until the person that's taking care of me found out where I was. She had grown rather attached to me, so she tagged along." Sheena raised her eyebrows.

"You mean you aren't with your parents?" She asked, and regretted it almost instantly when Lloyd grew quiet and gloomy. A hand wrapping around something in his shirt, he sighed.

"The reason I was hurt was because my parent and I were attacked by raiders." Blinking rapidly as he thought back on that night, he added, "My parents were both killed in the attack, and I barely managed to escape." Sheena felt very guilty for sending the nice boy that she was talking to into such a gloom, and scooted closer to him.

"Sorry for brining up such a painful subject." She said softly, wrapping an arm around Lloyd's shoulders. Leila didn't snap at her, which was puzzling; she snapped at almost anyone strange that tried to touch Lloyd in such a familiar way. Sniffling, Sheena explained, "Grandpa got in the way of Volt's attack for me. He's in a coma, I think. Tiga came and took him back to the village." Lloyd looked at her.

"You're a summoner?" He asked, eyebrows shooting up into his bangs. Sheena nodded slowly.

"But right now…I don't want to be one…I made Volt angry and he attacked the village…I killed a lot of people! I don't…want to be a summoner." Crying softly, she shook her head. Lloyd gave her a concerned look before tentatively wrapping his arms around Sheena in a friendly hug, making sure his swords didn't poke her in the side.

"Hey…You're my age, right?" When Sheena nodded, he sighed. "You goof, nobody's going to get angry with you! Plus Volt's supposed to be one of the stronger spirits out there." Suddenly realizing something, he asked. "Wait…how do you know that you're a summoner?" Sheena pulled away slightly, rubbing her eyes.

"Corrine." She called softly, and a small kitsune with three blue tails appeared and trotted over to her.

"Sheena? Who's the boy hugging you?" Corrine asked, his cutesy voice startling Leila. The dragonet would've attacked him if Lloyd hadn't put a hand to her back sternly; no attacking Corrine. Sheena blushed slightly and gently pulled away from the younger boy, who didn't seem to mind much.

"He's Lloyd." She said.

"And Goldie on his shoulder there?"

"I have a name, runt." Leila snarled in perfect common, making the other three present jump; Leila didn't normally speak common! "But then again, the name my kind gave me is nearly impossible to pronounce. To the rest of the world, I'm Leila. Remember that." Snapping her golden wings open, she glared at Corrine, who glared right back.

"Not very nice is she?" He asked Lloyd, who laughed weakly while holding the dragonet on his shoulder.

"No, she's just cranky right now." He explained, mentally telling Leila to relax. "I think she slept wrong or something, or she got poked with twigs one time too many." Leila lightly whacked Lloyd with a wing for his last statement before settling on his shoulder, claws digging into the leather shoulder guard he wore for just that purpose.

"AH!!" Sheena suddenly yelped, leaping into the air. "The others will be out looking for me!! I've got to get away!" But before the young kunoichi could turn and run, she felt Lloyd grab her arm.

"If you run away, then they have a reason to get angry with you." He stated, standing up and tugging the girl towards the path through the forest. "But if you go back and apologize, they'll forgive you in time."

'**Plus you need to explain to Blue where you vanished to suddenly.'** Leila reminded him, making Lloyd groan; Yuan was not going to be happy…Sheena looked at him again before tugging her arm away and walking beside him, Corrine at her heels; it was the farthest place away from Leila that he could get without leaving Sheena.

------

Yuan wasn't too pleased with Lloyd running off, but when he saw that he had found a villager-who he found out later was the summoner-he had to be a little more lenient. As promised, he had gotten a better pair of swords, but actual steel ones instead of the wooden ones; the weapon seller had insisted on giving the person that helped rebuild the village a good pair of weapons. Lloyd was thrilled; Yuan was not.

"Remember, those aren't wood; you can easily cut yourself with one." He reminded the boy, who rolled his eyes.

"Botta gets me if I'm not careful with bladed weapons." Lloyd explained, quickly sheathing the two swords at his waist. Leila chuckled briefly before digging into the piece of usagi (Japanese for Rabbit) meat that she had somehow gotten her scaly paws on while Lloyd wandered about the village looking for Sheena. It had been a few days since they had returned to Mizuho and she apologized, but he was still worried that she'd run away. When he turned a corner, he gasped in shock.

A small mob of children and pre-teens had surrounded Sheena, backing her into a corner. Although he didn't understand Mizuhoen to save his life, Lloyd doubted that any of the words yelled at Sheena were praises. A pre-teen was holding back a younger boy who seemed to be the leader of the assault. The young summoner was crouched into the corner, whimpering and on the verge of tears. Angry, Lloyd pushed through the crowd and went to her.

"You okay Sheena?" He asked, making her jump. When she saw the nice boy instead of the angry mob of children, she lessened slightly and nodded, a soft sob escaping her. One of the children starting yelling at Lloyd in Mizuhoen, but he ignored him. Leila didn't, and whatever was said unsettled her.

"Shut up, you little brats!" She snapped from Lloyd's shoulders, turning to face them. While many of the older children shut up with murmurs of 'ryuu' and an occasional 'kinryuu' (Golden dragon), with a brief 'Seryuu' between the two oldest, the younger children-especially the one being restrained by his older brother-continued to yell, now choosing the newcomer and his odd animal as their targets. "I said shut up!" Leila snapped again, wings flaring open. Just at that second, the boy broke away from his brother and charged, a kunai in his hand.

"Stop protecting the murderer!!" he yelled, knife aimed right at Sheena, who was hidden behind Lloyd. Leila roared, and in a flash of golden light bounded off of Lloyd's shoulder and at the boy.

If Leila was a regular dragon, he wouldn't've been in such danger; but Leila was a golden dragon, and could control her size. Right before she struck the boy's chest, she let her shape return to what it was when she was roughly five hundred, which was about as tall as a single story building at the shoulder, and was nearly twice as long. The boy was pinned between the second and third talons of her right paw, but he didn't have a scratch on him.

"Now listen up, small fry." Leila snarled, violet eyes flashing. "I don't care what you think about the gixie or her actions. If she had killed all the people that died three days ago on purpose, I would let you go at her. But she didn't; it was that damn temperamental lightning spirit!" The villagers were stunned by the sight of a house sized dragon lecturing a boy between her claws instead of eating him alive, as several of the adults had crowded around to see what was going on-including Botta, who sighed. Why did Leila have to lose her temper now?

"And…" Leila swung her head so that one violet eye locked onto the boy's dark ones, "if I hear that you bring up this accident again and blame Sheena for it one more time, I will be a lot harsher in my punishment. Now get going." When she released the boy, he ran back to the other children who all scattered. Once she was certain that they were all gone, she turned back to being travel sized and fluttered over to Lloyd's shoulder.

The next three days went by without much of a hitch after that encounter. Most of the children avoided Sheena-out of fear that Leila would attack them-when Lloyd was near, which was most of the time. The two had already become close friends, seen together more often than not. So when Yuan informed Lloyd on the sixth day that they would be leaving tomorrow, the pair were upset. They split up for a couple of hours, each finding something to give their friend so they weren't forgotten before meeting up at the bridge after supper.

"The eclipse is going to be pretty!" Sheena giggled as she and Lloyd sat on the bridge, looking up at the silver blue disc in the dark heavens. Sylvarant was indeed due for an eclipse, which Lloyd knew was the second moon simply coming in front of it. He grinned, watching Leila swoop through the air, catching mosquitoes and fireflies on the wing.

"Yeah it is." Lloyd agreed, eyes growing distant briefly. Leaning back, he added, "I really don't want to go tomorrow…"

"Yeah…" Sheena agreed, mimicking her friend's actions. "I'm gonna miss you…Speaking of which…" Sitting up, she pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Lloyd. Taking the object, the tenshi saw that it was a small model of the spell cards that Sheena used to fight with, but this one had a golden dragon and a kitsune-which looked a lot like Corrine- drawn on it.

"I-it doesn't work like a weapon." Sheena blushed and looked away, "I just remembered that if I didn't draw the right charms, it wouldn't be an offensive thing but rather a pretty piece of paper…" Lloyd grinned and pulled something out of his pocket.

"Yours." He said simply, dropping it into Sheena's hand. When she held it up, it turned out to be a necklace made of small beads and one of Leila's shed scales, which were roughly half-mooned shaped. Lloyd went red and stammered, "I made it so…that you can wear it when we get older and…well…" Sheena looked at the fiercly blushing boy and giggled, leaning foreword.

"Thanks." She whispered, pecking the boy gently on the check. Lloyd went even redder and muttered something incoherent in dragonic, making Sheena giggle. Putting the necklace around her neck, she rested her head on Lloyd's shoulder. Loosing some of his blush, the boy rested his head atop hers as the moon began to vanish, smiling lightly.

Yuan watched the two with a faint smile, thinking back on how easy it was to fall in love.

---

1: Before you say I'm putting Lloyd through the transformation too fast, let me say one thing; it's genetic. He has angel blood in him, so not only should it not hurt him, it should also progress rather quickly.

2: Angeling is Leila's special word for Lloyd when he's younger. She's basically calling him little angel.

Japanese words: ryuu-dragon/ Kin-gold/ tenshi-angel/ ten'nyo/heavenly maiden Seryuu/dragon god

_**Lei**__: Not much to say. Just R&R!!_


	4. Hall of Birds part I

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Okay...let's try this again—I finally figured out how I wanted this to go, so let's get started before I forget again!! I do not own ToS!! I do own Leila and Ereshkigal!!

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**4. Hall of Birds pt 1  
**_(eight year time skip)_

Lloyd looked back over his shoulder, making sure that Sheena was still with him. The pair had headed into the nearby forest for some training, and now they were heading back to the ninja village.

There was just one problem—the two were lost.

"Lloyd ...this doesn't look at all familiar..." Sheena whispered, trying to hide the fact that she was scared. This had been her idea, after all—so she shouldn't be scared. But it was dusk, and there were storm clouds rolling in.

"You're right... this doesn't look familiar at all." Lloyd agreed after a minute, stopping. Leila, who was walking at his heels, growled in irritation. The thirteen-year-old muttered something in angelic before heading off in a different direction, following the path. "I hope that the others aren't worried..."

"Yeah." Sheena agreed, following Lloyd quickly. At least she was grateful that she had gotten lost with Lloyd—she wouldn't have been able to do this alone.

After a few more minutes of pointless wandering, the storm was upon the two. Sheena gulped, and tried not to focus on the broiling storm clouds above them. Ever since the bad encounter with Volt, she'd been afraid of lightning... Walking faster, Sheena made herself reach the same pace as her younger friend just as the heavens opened and they were soaked to the bone.

Now they were even more lost, and caught out in a storm to top it all off. Even Leila was irked. But it wasn't until the first bolt of lightning shot through the sky and the first pealing roar of thunder echoed through the air that the three felt nervous.

In Sheena's case, maybe petrified could've described her better.

As soon as she had seen the bright flash of light, she had shrieked and leapt at Lloyd, wrapping both her arms around his left one, trembling. Lloyd had sensed her fear, and began looking for a safe place to last the storm out. Eyes spying something to the right, he grinned.

"This place looks good." He said aloud, waking towards the house when Sheena piped up.

"What place?" She asked, staring directly where Lloyd was. "I only see trees..." Indeed, the kunoichi could only see more trees. Lloyd gave her a perplexed look—couldn't she see the large house in front of them? Choosing not to comment, Lloyd kept on walking, and eventually heard his feet hitting the soft tramped earth of a well worn path.

"Weird. Now I see what you're talking about." Sheena commented once they reached the path, still clutching desperately to Lloyd's arm. Indeed, it seems that once she set foot on the pathway, she could see the place that Lloyd was looking at.

It was large and old fashioned looking, complete with the many tiered roof of an ancient temple. Sliding rice paper doors led to the inside, sheltered from decay by whatever spell had helped hide the house from the outside. As the two teens and dragon stopped to admire it, both felt an eerie sensation in the air.

Directly behind them, thunder pealed, making Sheena cry in fear. Deciding not to worry about whether or not the place was haunted—which all three suspected it was—they pelted to the nearest door, which slid open easily under Lloyd's hand. Shutting the door carefully, Lloyd felt Sheena let go of him, and his angelic vision could see Leila shaking the water off of her glinting scales.

"Hey Lloyd, do you think there's any lights in here?" Sheena asked after a minute, looking around at the place, trying not to tremble as the lightning that flashed through the shuttered windows lit the place in an intimidating half-light. Lloyd shrugged.

"I doubt it." He said at first, but as soon as he had finished speaking, the place lit up from within, startling the three into leaping up and away from one another. At the back of Lloyd's neck, the hairs not tied back into a ponytail stood up on end—the eerie sensation from before was back.

"Let's try going farther in." he suggested after a moment, walking forward. "See if we can get dry."

"Okay." Sheena nodded, walking along beside her friend—who she would never admit to anyone that she had a crush on.

"**Wait, you hatchlings!!"** Leila barked out, suddenly nervous. **"I feel something suspicious about this place... Seiryuu witness it, that boy stopped listening to me as soon as he turned ten. Damnit Blue (**Yuan)**, why the hell did you let him start coming here on his own?! It let him develop a stubborn streak nearly as large as his sire's!!"** With that thought, the small dragonet set off in pursuit of the two teens, mentally cursing the day that she let herself grow attached to a young angel no bigger than an egg.

* * *

Lloyd and Sheena had been wandering about for a few minutes, and they had just stumbled upon a room that had been hidden to them before. It was large, but eerily empty, save for a large round dais in the center, which glowed with an amethyst light.

"What do you suppose is in here?" Lloyd asked after a minute, looking around. The duo stood in the doorway, but Lloyd could still feel that same sensation he felt near the entrance of the place. Sheena shrugged and stepped into the room, only for the amethyst light to suddenly expand and brighten, making the pair leap back in shock and fear.

A heaven wrenching shriek echoed in the air as the light began to swirl, forming a single, brightly glowing jewel set in a wrought silver base. From the rest of the house came shadows, winding around behind the dark violet stone to form a rather bird looking shape.

"_Who called me?"_A female voice, ancient and colder than the depths of Celsius's glacier echoed in the air as the bird solidified, resembling a barn owl. The bird's body feathers were a black so pitch that they made midnight seem grey, the wing feathers tipped in a deep blood colored red. Deep black eyes peered at the two humans in mild surprise, the small ring of black feathers around them making them seem larger than they were, deep set in a face whiter than the dead. The black eyes and feathers only seemed to make it whiter, and it almost glowed. Flapping her wings twice more, the owl settled herself onto the dais, the amethyst standing out in its silver base upon her breast.

"_It had been a long four thousand years since I was last awoken... I am shocked to find that a member of this family still lives to awaken my presence."_The entire time the bird 

spoke, she kept her eyes fastened on Lloyd. _"Only a member of the Aurion bloodline can see this house to begin with, let alone lead outsiders in." _Lloyd stared back at the owl in mild shock—what in Suzaku's name did she mean by THAT!?

"Excuse me..." Sheena spoked quietly, standing strongly beside Lloyd. The light that had filled the hallway behind them dimmed slightly, and the pale glow of the owl's face seemed to grow brighter. "But who are you?" The owl swiveled her face slightly to face the girl.

"_An Aurion and a summoner? This seems to be déjà vu."_She chuckled to herself before seeming to glow with a dark radiance, and the temperature of the air plummeted. _"I am Ereshkigal, the Summon Spirit of Death and guardian of the afterlife. For nearly four thousand years, I have rested here in the home of the Aurion family, fearing no summoner to try and break my pact with him who created the universe. I have never been bound to none, and my mana link has always been closed. Verius and I have no need to feed off one another, and we both rest and watch this universe, for we are both present in every aspect of this place."_

"Verius?" Sheena asked, looking up in awe at Ereshkigal. The summon spirit tilted her head back down to look at her. Even if she wasn't perched on the dais, the bird was nearly eight feet tall when all was said and done.

"_The Summon Spirit of Heart. Even by Summon spirit standards, he's rather queer."_The spirit replied after a minute, suddenly rotating her head so that she peered at the two upside down. Sheena had never seen an owl do something like this before, startling her. Lloyd reached out and grasped her hand tightly, trying not to be intimidated by the immense bird before him.

A thin, milky membrane shot across Ereshkigal's eyes briefly before she flipped her head upside right once more. _"And what exactly does an angel want to discuss with a messenger of death? And you're __**his**__ none the less—I thought that father of yours had died four thousand years ago during the war."_Sheena looked in shock between the summon spirit and her friend, trying to process what was just said. Lloyd gave her a look that said that he would explain later on.

Turning back to the owl, Lloyd drew a soft breath. "No, Dad didn't die back then—he passed away ten years ago now..." shaking his head, Lloyd looked Ereshkigal dead in the eye. "Are you saying something about him that I should know about?!"

"_Apart from the fact that it was him and his blasted companions that sealed me away all those centuries ago, not particularly. My sister Suzaku always seemed to be extra wary of him, however... She feared he would die without any children..."_ Flapping a wing irately, the spirit began to vanish, answering Lloyd and Sheena's unasked question at the same time. _"As long as there is a member of this family still alive, the seal on me shall not break, and the Bridge between here and Niflhiem shall remain closed. But now, with the Guardian's Blades scattered to the edges of the world, there is a risk that we may no longer have that luxury... And my sister does not want to wake again, not after the destruction that occurred last time..."_ With that, the Summon Spirit of Death was gone.

"...I'll give her this much," Sheena spoke after a minute, staring at the place where Ereshkigal had once been. "I didn't expect the spirit of death to be so—"

"Uncanny?" Lloyd offered, rubbing his temples. Talking to inhumane beings wasn't new to him, but talking with a summon spirit was another matter. Suddenly remembering that Ereshkigal had called him an angel, he turned and spoke gently, "I think I have some things to explain, don't I?" He laughed weakly, wondering how severe his punishment would be for letting Sheena find out, and finding that he didn't care—which shocked him—he decided to go ahead and tell her.

* * *

It was nearly midnight when Leila found the two again, and after lecturing them about wandering off on their own, she got on Lloyd's case about letting Sheena find out he was an angel. But as soon as the pair mentioned Ereshkigal, the dragonet froze briefly.

"**BLOODY OWL!! I thought you were still sleeping—don't be waking up and causing all sorts of discord on my watch!! The angling does enough of that on his own!!" **She shrieked, growing nearly as tall as the house. **"ERESHKIGAL!! If I so much as sense you outside of your seal room, I will make your waking up a living hell, do you hear me!?"**

Lloyd and Sheena decided to let the dragonet rant out the spirit in solitude, and searched out a place where they could spend the night. Upon finding a small room with a spare blanket spread across the floor, Lloyd went to pick it up when a blur of white and green bowled him over with a loud whine.

"Oi!!" The angel yelled, then realized the thing that was trying to lick his face off was familiar. "Noishe...?" He asked, only to have his face washed even more by the enthusiastic protozoan, who was delighted to see his young master alive again. Back during the time when the whole family had been together, Kratos had given Noishe orders that if something were to happen, he was to go back to the house. And that was what he had done, like a good protozoan.

"Ahh!! Noishe, sit so I can get up!!" Lloyd laughed weakly, lightly pushing the immense dog-like being off of him. Noishe allowed him to do so, whining happily. The pup had lived!!

"Do you know him, Lloyd?" Sheena asked, walking up and petting the large dog on his head, Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah—his name's Noishe." Scratching the Protozoan behind a floppy ear, he added, "he was with me when..." Not only had Lloyd told about his being an angel, he had told Sheena what had really happened to his parents. The older teen had agreed quickly not to tell another soul, and she seemed to grow closer to Lloyd than before. Now she knew why Lloyd was touchy about the subject, and she respected that.

"I understand." She replied, nearly asleep on her feet when a crack of thunder sounded loudly outside the house. Yelping, Sheena ran over to where Lloyd stood quietly, trembling. "The storm's getting worse..."

"Yeah." Wrapping his arms around Sheena gently, the teen felt how drowsy she was. "Let's just stay here for right now... Noishe won't let anything bad happen to us." Normally, the kunoichi would've argued, but she was too worn to care—storms always made her sleepy.

After that, Sheena found herself wrapped up in a blanket, nestled close to Lloyd's side. Noishe was lying behind them, letting the two rest their heads on his furry belly. Normally, he was too dignified for that sort of thing to happen. But with the young master alive and well, he was alright with letting it slide—for now.

"I still can't believe it." Lloyd murmured after a minute, looking up at the ceiling as the lightning shone through the shutters and their luminescence reflected off of the flat surface.

"Believe what?" Sheena murmured, burying her face into the crook where Lloyd's arm and side joined.

"That dad grew up here—and that it's still intact so well."

"Maybe Ereshkigal made sure of it." A minute of silence passed before Sheena spoke softly. "Lloyd?"

"Yeah?"

"Uhm... could I ... see your wings?" She looked up, a faint blush on her face. Lloyd blushed in response, but nodded and let the ruby and prismatic appendages blink into existence.

'_Like father like son.' _Noishe thought to himself, silently witnessing the whole thing. _'Neither one can hide what he really is—and their instincts are usually right when it comes to mates.'_ As the thought went through his mind, he watched as Sheena's hand reached up to caress the wings closest to her, meaning her arm brushed against Lloyd's face. _'Ahh... hell hath no effect like teenage hormones.'_ The protozoan laughed mentally as the pup's face went nearly as red as his wings, breathing stopped. _'Ha hah! Definitely takes after Master Kratos!! He would be proud!'_

Oblivious to his silent peanut gallery, Lloyd relished the feeling of the ninja's skin against his, eyes sliding closed. This felt so nice... He really didn't notice at first when he reached for Sheena's hand and kissed her fingers lightly, but when she gasped and stiffened against him, he did.

"S-sorry Sheena." He stammered after a minute, letting her hand drop down to his chest, face redder than before. Noishe let out a silent snort of laughter, tail wagging enthusiastically—He'd seen this sort of thing with Lloyd's parents before, and it was SO amusing to watch. Especially now that Lloyd had picked Sheena's hand back up, lightly brushing his mouth against the inside of her palm, enjoying the warmth it let off.

To say Sheena was surprised was an understatement—Lloyd had never been this affectionate before. It felt nice... Nestling deeper into his side, she tugged her hand so that Lloyd would let it go. "No offense Lloyd, but I'm tired... I just want to get to sleep." Nodding, Lloyd craned his neck down and lightly kissed her forehead.

"Rest well, Shee..." He murmured gently, making Sheena blush even brighter than before. But not long after Lloyd had told her that, she dozed off, content and warm. Lloyd simply held her close and nestled his face into her hair, completely comfortable. This was going to be hard to manage, not letting his feelings for Sheena get in the way of what he had to do in a few years... and so far, things were not going well.

Ah well, that was a downside for being blissfully in love, he finally decided, resting a cheek against Sheena's head. 'falling in love can be such a pain sometimes... but I enjoy it all the same.' He thought to himself, pulling the ninja closer.

"_What do you know, déjà vu."_

'_Noishe! Shut up!!' _Lloyd thought with a mental yell, face bright red. Noishe merely laughed.


	5. Hall of Birds part II

_-is dancing in seat and singing "Juliet"-  
__**Sheena:**__ Uhhh … you okay Li?  
Eh? Oh, yeah!! Just felt like singing … -sweatdrop-.  
__**Sheena: **__… -shakes head- Li owns nothing; not even a life.  
Shut it! Fanfiction is my life! –continues singing-  
__**Sheena: **__…_

_Oh, and for the person who asked, Lloyd is thirteen right now; he'll be seventeen next chapter._

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**5. Hall of Birds pt 2**

The next morning found Lloyd with his arms still wrapped tightly around Sheena, with both of them still nestled up against Noishe's belly. The angel was staring off into the air, and he barely noticed the kunoichi stirring against him until an arm snaked around his neck. Looking down into Sheena's face, Lloyd smiled lightly. "Good morning, sleepy head."

"Were you up the whole night …?" Sheena asked groggily, not really wanting to leave Lloyd's arms. He was just too warm to get away from, as if his body was a few degrees warmer than most humans. Lloyd chuckled and nodded lightly, blushing.

"Don't need to sleep." He answered, voice sheepish as he scratched the back of his neck. "It's part of becoming an angel, so it's not that big of a deal. I actually prefer it; that way I can keep Leila out of Uncle Yuan's way when he's not in a agreeable mood." Sheena tilted her head in a question at that.

"He doesn't like Leila?"

"Not really." Lloyd shook his head.

"For some reason, that really doesn't surprise me." Sheena commented, earning a chuckle out of Lloyd and a laughing noise out of Noishe. Almost as if the comments about her were a summons, Leila appeared in the doorway herself, and snorted when she saw Noishe.

"**So this is where you got to, eh?"** She commented, launching herself onto Lloyd's shoulder with grace. **"I found something interesting last night while you two were being snuggle-bunnies, but I think you should look it over, Lloyd."** Earning a glare with her teasing, the golden dragonet flew out the door on golden wings, sunlight showering the walls with a glowing rainbow. Lloyd glanced outside with a sigh; they needed to get back to Mizuho and fast, but this was certainly worth looking at for Leila to mention it.

"What's wrong?" Sheena asked, standing and brushing herself off. Lloyd looked at her with a smile.

"Seems that Leila's found something interesting for me to look at; she was being vague about it though." He explained, withdrawing his wings as they walked out into the hallway and spied Leila hovering at the end of the hallway beside a side alley. Curious, Lloyd trotted towards it and looked down it. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he poked his head down it. "What's so special about this place, Leila?" he asked after a minute, looking back at the dragonet.

"**This."** With that, Leila went to fly over Lloyd's head, only to find herself stuck in the air directly above. The brunette looked up at her, then proceeded to walk forward unhindered. The dragonet squawked in indignation. **"Get back here boy!! You might be walking into a dangerous area; that's why it was sealed off!!"** Leila called after Lloyd, who either ignored her or didn't hear her; it was most likely the former though, knowing his angelic hearing.

Sheena had reached the doorway as well, and when she looked down it went to follow Lloyd. "wait up!!" While the walkway affected her no more than it did Lloyd, Sheena was still prevented from entering. Noishe had followed, and for some reason reached up and taken a hold of Sheena's obi in his mouth. "Ack … Noishe!" She cried, shocked. "Let go!"

"_No. the young pup needs to do this on his own."_Noishe whined, although he knew that Sheena couldn't understand him. Leila could however, and she turned on the protozoan instead.

"Lloyd needs to do **WHAT **on his own!?" She demanded, drawing Sheena's attention as well. The look in Leila's violet eyes wasn't friendly, but Noishe stared right back at her with an even gaze, mouth still clamped tightly onto mauve fabric.

"_I do not know myself, but I can tell we are not to interfere with it, whatever it may be. You have a matter with it, take it up with Suzaku after the fact."_

* * *

Lloyd was completely unaware that his friends were unable to come to his aid by ordinary means, so he shivered unconsciously as he walked along the hallway. The overhead lights had vanished, but the walls seemed to glow with a vermilion light down their entire length, casting the blank light blue walls into a fiery light, Lloyd's shadow flickering like fire on their surfaces. Looking at it once and shivering, Lloyd told himself that there was some sort of magic at work within the place; what though, he couldn't begin to guess.

Above his head rang the songs of numerous birds, and yet he couldn't see them no matter where he looked. Their songs wove through the air, breaking the stillness with their earthreal tones and sounds, for blended together they sounded like a single bird, one large and powerful, and yet at the same time, elegant. Lloyd allowed his mind to wander at the thought; there was a summon spirit living here, so why not something else not human? If it was something that wanted to kill him, however, he would be screwed.

'Okay Lloyd, Leila's the one with the morbid sense of imagination, not you.' He scolded himself, shaking his head. Looking beneath his feet, Lloyd found it to be hard packed dirt and clay, glazed smooth by what seemed to be a great burst of heat. Here and there, he could see the imprints of feet where a bird nearly the same size of Ereshkigal—or slightly bigger—had once walked, down into the depths of the hall. What startled Lloyd was when he looked in front of his own feet were human tracks, where someone before him had walked. Same rhythm to his steps, same gait … this was starting to make the young angel nervous.

"Maybe this is just a dream, and I'm still lying next to Sheena." Lloyd muttered to himself briefly, blushing at the thought of still being snuggled next to Sheena. "I'm just hallucinating, and when I open my eyes, I'll see her and Leila trying to wake me up." Closing his eyes as he spoke, he slowly opened then, only to find himself still in the hallway. "Damn it." Lloyd sighed in defeat, and found his feet unconsciously moving forward against his will. "Maybe whatever lives down here will be nice and let me hug Sheena again before it roasts me."

Now that his eyes were wandering around the halls again, Lloyd saw that the glow came from all around him now, and that the hall had been warmer than the rest of the house. The bird song still wove around him, but at the end of the hallway he saw only a trace of faint sunlight and the shadows of trees cast upon the ground. Lloyd halted briefly. "A courtyard?" he asked himself, walking towards it.

The sound of boots hitting stone echoed around the suddenly silent air as Lloyd walked outside, hissing as the sunlight hit his eyes. Blinking them rapidly to help them adjust, Lloyd spied another, solitary building standing right in front of him. Like the rest of the house, it had the same sloping, tiered roofs, painted gold and crimson with rosewood inlays. The walls were unpainted red mahogany wood, and the red and white talisman ropes that he had seen around a temple at Mizuho dangled from the eaves, the paper tags fluttering in the wind. Lloyd blinked again.

"What's a shrine doing out here?" He asked the air, his feet leading him towards it while his eyes scanned the area. The place had to be in the center of the old house, and when he looked around, a different bird carved out of wood stood at each corner of the house with two on the top spirals of the roof, resting lightly on what seemed to be a pair of carved koi fish.

Stopping right in front of the shrine door, Lloyd heard a solitary swallow's song, and he turned just in time to see sunlight glint on purple-black feathers as it circled his head twice before darting into the shrine. Cautious and at the same time curious, the brunette followed the bird into its depths.

Inside the shrine, Lloyd found himself facing an ornately painted cloth folding screen, with a scene of the sun rising above orange hued mountains and a rushing fiver. And yet above the mountains, its long, fiery gold and orange tail wrapping around the sun, was a bird that seemed a cross between an eagle and an ibis with a crest of three erect vermilion feathers arching above burning eyes. The faint smell of old incense hung thinly in the air, and as Lloyd looked around, he saw a small canister of unused—and yet fresh—sticks in a corner. The swallow that had darted inside ahead of him was perched nearby, looking back at him with intelligent bead eyes.

"A-alright; just let me see what's behind the … screen …" Lloyd tapered off as he stuck his head around the screen, eyes wide in awe as he spied the statue before him.

Carved out of what had to be solid jasper stone, the immense bird was sculpted so perfectly, Lloyd swore that it was breathing. A crimson gold and copper dais supported it and raised it nearly three feet from the floor, and was a mirror image of the bird on the screen. Rubies, fire opals, garnets, and topaz gems were inlaid into the jasmine, making it shimmer and glisten in the light cast by a pair of braziers that hung behind it. If it was half size, Lloyd estimated that the bird itself was ten feet tall with a fourteen foot wingspan. And with the gaping beak wide open, Lloyd found that the bird seemed to be challenging anyone to attack it; they would fall beneath its wrath.

A harsh tweet from the swallow, followed by a beak nipping his ear, told Lloyd that he still needed to get the incense stick from the canister. "Ow! Okay, okay, just don't peck me again!" Lloyd scolded the bird, rubbing the offended body part and stepping towards the canister. Drawing out a stick of incense, his nose was assaulted by the smell of cinnamon apples and autumn rain. "At least whoever left this here has a good taste in this sort of thing." He commented to himself, lighting it on a nearby brazier and stepping around the screen with it in hand. The swallow flew to the top of the screen, watching Lloyd as he placed the stick in the burner near his head, a dish hung from thin golden chains with a phoenix standing triumphant around the edges; the incense was placed beneath its feet.

Looking away from the dish to gaze at the bird before him in awe, Lloyd subconsciously reached out and ran his fingers over the solitary heliotrope stone, feeling its smooth surface beneath his fingers with startling clarity. Its deep forest green coloration stood out against the red and oranges of the stones around it, the blood red veins on its face nearly forming the infinity knot in its center.

Outside, an eagle shrieked its victory, and the swallow let out a cheep as it flew outside. Lloyd turned to look at it. "Hey, where's you goinnnNNA!!" His statement was cut off as a louder eagle's cry rang in his ears, and the ground dropped away, and he found himself staring at the sea to the south of the Fooji continent. From straight above it; he seemed to be suspended by an invisible force.

A whoosh of air behind him made Lloyd turn to look, and when he did, he nearly fell onto his rear from shock as his wings flared into life. Before him stood the living, breathing replica of the bird statue back in the shrine. Its feathers were all the deep vermilion shade as the jasper stone, and eyes that danced with the light of topaz, fire opals, and rubies locked with his wine colored ones. Flames danced at the edge of the bird's feathers, and yet they didn't burn. The heliotrope stone was gone, and yet nothing about the bird seemed to diminish; it was eleven feet tall, and its wings were furled across its sides and back.

Striding towards Lloyd on long, strapping legs, the bird locked eyes with him. The mana around it was incredible, almost twice of the entire mana over Tethe'alla. The bird's presence was intimidating, and Lloyd's legs trembled from its appearance.

_**You'll do.**_ A woman's voice rang through the air, both deeper and gentler than Ereshkigal's. There were still some similarities between the two, but this one was far more regal. The very pressure of her words in his made mind made Lloyd go to his knees, eyes wide as she spoke again. _**The hand of fate was upon you even before you returned here, but this time it shall not be swayed. Trust your heart, child of Fenghuang, for you have set foot on a path that you cannot turn away from, one which you can only trust with your heart. For seven thousand years the boundary between Ratatosk and Niflheim has been in place, and yet now it wanes with the blood that gave it birth.**_

Gaze still locked with lloyd's, the bird unfurled her immense wings, scattering flames to the wind. Her voice continued to pound in lloyd's mind as she began to list eight locations.

_**One to the north, in Flanior's deepest depths.**_

_**One stolen by the akuma no kaze before it was sealed away.**_

_**One kept safe in the jungles of Origin's home.**_

_**One encased in solid crystal, where two worlds cross.**_

_**One lost within the temples of the unicorn's city.**_

_**One buried deep beneath the ground, guarded by a bottomless shaft.**_

_**One sealed away, locked within a hidden chamber of marble.**_

_**One concealed beneath the raging inferno of sand.**_

_**Bring these eight back to the shrine, to summon the last down from the heavens. Ereshkigal shall leave her seal, and Ninerva shall once again be restored. This is your task, child of Fenghuang, descendant of the Guardian.**_ And then, with a shriek that split the sky, the bird raised her head and vanished in an aurora of glowing flames. When Lloyd was capable of vision again, he found himself floating through open space, eyes locked on the scene before him.

A man with a wild, long mane of fiery orange hair stood over an anvil, a smith's hammer clenched within a large, heavy hand. Before him on the anvil rested the golden hilt of a sword, which he seemed to be in the process of making.

At ninety degrees to the man stood a creature that was nearly seven feet tall at its shoulders, covered in dark brown fur as wild and thick as the man's. A cloud the color of ash rolled down its back between four three-tiered crests, two on each side. Its face was set in a crimson crest, and heat seemed to radiate off of its being.

As Lloyd watched, transfixed, the orange haired man held up the glowing sword, whose shape was ominously familiar, holding it in front of the beast's mouth. With a cry that echoed like an erupting volcano, the beast shot forth a burst of white hot flames, engulfing the blade as the human mouthed something; or maybe he spoke, it was hard for Lloyd to tell over the roar of the flames.

When the man pulled his hand away, a glowing blade, filled with the beast's energy and fire, he placed it once more on the anvil and began to shape it with hammer and tongs, the best occasionally adding more fuel to the blade. When it was complete, the man placed it upon the anvil and leapt away rapidly as the beast shot one last burst of orange flames at it. When they died down, the flames left not a mark upon the anvil, and as the orange haired man held up the blade, the sunlight hit its glorious vermilion surface, and a burning inferno became incased in steel and mana. Lloyd gasped audibly; this was how Flamberge had been created!!

Not hearing the gasp, the orange haired man turned and placed the legendary sword next to a large, ornate axe which glowed with a pale emerald hue, and a staff whose topaz colored haft radiated with the presence of the earth. Even from his distance, Lloyd could feel the energy that radiated from them; these were weapons of great power.

And then, just as suddenly as he had seen the vision, Lloyd found himself falling through open space, the man and the beast vanishing in a blink of the eye. Before Lloyd could find the strength in him to scream, a hand wrapped around his wrist, and Lloyd found himself staring into the face of the man that had created Flamberge, freezing instantly.

The shape of the man's face was incredibly similar to that of Kratos' save for no hair fell into his face. Vermilion eyes that were the exact same shape as Lloyd's caught and held his, and he was no longer clothed in the garbs of a simply smith; he dressed in light armor and wore clothing suited for battle. On his hand was a ring that was similar in shape to the one that Sheena wore for her pact with Corrine, but instead of a small piece of quartz, this one boasted a flawless spinel bound within its depths. A gold and vermilion bracelet similar in appearance to that of the beast's crests was clasped around his right wrist.

_It is time … Enten …_A serene voice whispered into Lloyd's mind, and the man pulled him up onto his feet. Lloyd's eyes spied a pair of blades that shone like starlight at the man's waist before the same hand that grasped his wrist tilted his face up to stare back into the vermilion eyes.

_Enten … it is time for you to wake up. We will meet again, when this is all a thing of the past …_ With that, Lloyd felt darkness cover him, and he drifted off into sleep. The last thing he saw was the glistening of the light on those twin blades, fallen stars incased in metal; he faintly heard the roar of the great beast that had been with the man before slipping off into slumber.

* * *

Sheena was beginning to grow restless when Noishe finally released her and raced down the hall, howling as he went. Worried, she took off after him, Leila flying ahead of them both. Sheena tensed when she entered the hallway, not wanting to think on it long; she sorely hoped that Lloyd was alright. Her feet pounded on the walkway as she followed dragon and protozoan into the courtyard, stopping when she spied the temple. "What's in there?" She asked aloud, walking into it at a slower pace while Noishe and Leila were once again stopped by a barrier. "Lloyd? Are you in here?"

Poking her head around the painted screen, Sheena's eyes widened at the sight of the bird statue. "A shrine to Suzaku?" She asked no one, stepping around the screen just as her eyes spied Lloyd lying unconscious in front of the statue. Panicking, she knelt by his side and felt around for a pulse, which she found instantly.

Relieved, Sheena blinked when she saw a red and gold bracelet that was now clasped tightly onto Lloyd's right arm; it felt like it contained an ancient mana, so she left it be. Still concerned for Lloyd, she settled down and placed his head in her lap, running his fingers through his mane of unruly brown hair.

Around fifteen minutes passed before Lloyd began to stir. With a light groan, he opened his eyes only to find them locked onto a pair of honey-gold ones; a pleasant change after what felt like a lifetime looking into that man's vermilion ones. "Hey you." He teased, poking Sheena's nose with a finger. Sheena giggled as he went on "How long was I away?"

"Around an hour, and I found you about fifteen minutes ago." Sheena told him, smiling. "But I think it's past time for us to get back to Mizuho; the storm's passed, and Leila said while we were waiting for you that Mizuho is just north of here." Nodding, Lloyd stood and stretched, feeling stiff joints pop and settle as he looked once more at the bird statue.

"Do you know what bird this is?" He asked Sheena, who looked at it as well.

"Yeah, Suzaku, the guardian goddess of the south; she's said to be a phoenix, and represents summer to my village." She explained, wrapping both arms around one of Lloyd's again. "It seems that your family holder her in high regards." Lloyd only nodded in agreement as they walked out of the shrine and out towards a small exit that Noishe had found and was waiting beside. Once the two humans and the dragonet has set foot on it, the protozoan let out a howl and retreated back inside the house.

As they were walking back towards the ninja village, Lloyd and Sheena made light conversation while Leila flew on ahead when Lloyd finally stopped and fell silent, pondering Sheena with a curious look. The kunoichi in question turned to look at him, confused as to why he had stopped.

"Something wrong Lloyd?" Sheena asked. Lloyd didn't answer her right away, and instead cupped her cheek with a gentle hand before leaning in towards her. Placing a chaste kiss to her cheek, he slowly backed up and away, before Leila circled over them both with a shriek. With that, the dragonet headed away from mizuho, sending back a warning that Lloyd had better hurry or Yuan would have his head. The brunette looked after her in annoyance before turning to look at the beet red Sheena.

"I have to go now." He sighed, letting his hand slowly, reluctantly drop away from her face. Sheena stared at him in shock before tackling him and burying her face in his chest.

"Will I get a chance to see you again?" she whispered, to which Lloyd wrapped his arms around her and sighed.

"I don't know; but don't forget …" tilting Sheena's head up with his hand, Lloyd smiled "_Ki-tsune._"Sheena looked at him with a smile before kissing him on the cheek.

"_Ki-tsune."_ She replied, smiling back at Lloyd. In turn, the brunette kissed her quickly on the forehead before he turned and walked the opposite way while Sheena stood still for a moment, a hand on her forehead. "Ki-tsune, Lloyd …"she finally whispered, turning and fleeing back towards Mizuho. Although he couldn't hear her, Lloyd smiled as he ran, hollering at Leila to slow down.

Watching them both was the orange haired man and the immense brown beast, who he rode with little effort. He smiled thinly, a light dancing in his vermilion eyes.

_Until we meet again, Enten. Until we meet again …_

* * *

_Enten—Blazing heat in Japanese/ the name that the Smith refers to Lloyd by  
Ki-tsune—"always return" in Japanese, not to be confused with "kitsune (fox)"_


	6. Day of Prophecy part I

_And here's this chapter; the Journey's about to begin, and some things are brought into question._

**6. Day of Prophecy part one**

(_4 years later …)_

All was quiet throughout the majority of the Renegade base; the next day was the Day of Prophecy, when the Chosen of Mana would begin her journey to "save the world". Because of that, those that were to go with Botta the next day were preparing for their dirty work the next day, and the rest were all abed.

But if one entered the deeper parts of the base, they would've heard the clanging of metal and the sounds of battle. Those that heard it either shook their heads and sighed, or simply ignored it; Lord Yuan and Phoenix—as the brunette human that worked with their group was called—were at it again. Their spars, which were loud and long, were becoming more and more commonplace.

Down in the room where the spar was taking place, Leila watched with amusement as the two angels continued to go at it; Yuan never tiring long enough to give Lloyd an advantage, and yet the brunette never surrendered. Back and forth, engaged in a fast pace series of strikes and parries that seemed to flow like water in a stream, the light reflecting off of polished metal. At regular intervals, lightning would crackle in the space between them, or fire would surge up from the ground to lick at cloth and air. No matter how long the spar went on, Leila could never grow tired of the deadly dance of two angels engaged in combat, the glowing violet and red light of their wings casting radiant shadows around them as they struck or dodged, never tiring, never slowing.

Lloyd had begun his sparring lessons against Yuan nearly five years ago, and the way that the cobalt moved and attacked was nearly second nature for the teen to read. Yuan's four thousand years of life had been a blessing as far as his fighting skills and knowledge went, even if he was still atrocious at socializing, and Lloyd respected him. He knew from the way he talked that Kratos had been just as deadly with the blade in life, and according to Yuan, Lloyd was taking off after him in that regard.

Still, right now Lloyd's sole goal was on dodging the obvious lightning attack his uncle was sending his way. Dodging up and leaping into the air to avoid the magical blade that landed beneath him, Lloyd released a burst of flames from the palm of his hand. Yuan had mentioned element manipulation briefly, and Lloyd had nearly worn himself out seeing if he could use such a skill. It hadn't startled anyone when he threw fire for the first time; he was a phoenix to the eyes of his family's patron (even if he was unaware of the fact personally).

Yuan saw the oncoming flare and spun his dual saber in front of him. Most of the flames were extinguished by the gust of air, but Yuan knew that Lloyd was using them for a distraction, so he needed to keep on his toes …!! Jumping aside as a fire disc came at his unshielded side, Yuan took to the air and placed Swallow in between him and Lloyd's descending blades.

"You're getting faster." Yuan commented, using his superior strength to shove Lloyd away. The brunette grinned and landed on his feet, raising an eyebrow in a mocking look. Over the years, he had fought to keep his hair from completely obscuring his face with mixed success; some of his bangs hung in his face, but the majority of his hair was long enough to pull back . Accompanied with the wine colored eyes, sometimes Yuan had to remind himself it wasn't Kratos talking to him, but Lloyd. Right now, however, Lloyd seemed to be teasing him.

"Are you sure that you're not getting slower, Uncle?" Here, where they had no on lookers or others around, Lloyd addressed the cobalt as he did as a small child. Yuan allowed him to get away with it in private; Lloyd had some license to call his father's best friend that, after all. Here they weren't commander and subordinate, nor were they Renegades; they were themselves, and right now, the line between teacher and student blurred as Yuan continued to push Lloyd's skills to their limit, not wanting the boy to die without a fight if he ever came across Yggdrasil in battle.

"Okay, now you're in for it." Yuan growled, and threw Swallow with unerring accuracy at Lloyd, who grinned and leapt away into the air, only to find himself caught in a Shock Wave attack. Mentally kicking himself for being so slow, Lloyd cast Guardian, letting the reddish-orange tint of his mana swirl around him into a shield. Dropping to the ground after he was freed, he threw one sword point down into the ground and used it as a spring board to give him a boost. Throwing the blade in his hand like a Frisbee, he began to mutter an incantation under his breath.

Yuan knocked the blade aside with little effort, and looked at Lloyd in curiosity. About to ask his nephew if he was tired, a beam of fiery light shot up from the ground at him. Flying away, the cobalt found himself dodging and rolling away from continuous bursts of fire, getting scorched by a couple of them. This was an attack that Lloyd had picked up from Sheena during one of his many visits, which had become fewer and fewer once the Chosen reached thirteen; Lloyd's training and lessons became more important than seeing a good friend.

"Using "_Konmei no homura" _against your uncle; you little …" Yuan began, only to cut himself off as Lloyd swooped to grab his discarded swords and swoop back up in a Rising Phoenix attack. Rolling away from the strike, Yuan managed to hit Lloyd in the ribs with the flat of Swallow's blade; not hard enough to break ribs, but enough to get Lloyd a good distance away.

While Lloyd forced air back into his lungs, Yuan charged and brought Swallow down again. "Indignation!!" the loud thunderclap that rang in the air deafened the unprepared Botta as he stepped into the room, and the burst of light nearly made him go blind. Mentally chiding himself for not expecting such a thing, the brunette half-elf waited until Lloyd broke his "Guardian" spell before making his presence known. Yuan looked at Botta in surprise.

"Do you need something, Botta?" he asked, retrieving his cape from where it lay, discarded before the battle so as not to provide a handicap; Lloyd needed such a thing about as much as Yuan needed it. Botta looked at his commander and at Lloyd—who grinned at him—before speaking lightly.

"Have we figured out how we are to handle this Chosen of Mana? According from the information on her that we've received, her mana signature is perhaps as close as Yggdrasil can get to Martel." Yuan scowled at that, his reaction mirrored in Lloyd's heaven directed glare and Leila's harsh hiss.

"Unfortunately, Yggdrasil wanted me to come along to make sure nothing happened to her along the way." He stated, mentally cursing the blond angel. "I excused myself and said that I had too many pressing things occupying my time since Kratos' passing, but that I knew someone that could do the task and keep quiet about it as well." Lloyd, knowing what was coming, bit back a grin and opted instead to put away his blades and examine his black and red ensemble—which was more of a red vest over a grey shirt with black gauntlets, pants and boots—while Botta looked at their commander in surprise.

"And who is this person?" Yuan smirked and glanced back at Lloyd, who looked back up and smiled innocently as Leila flew back to her perch on his shoulder. Botta's jaw dropped. "You said tha--" as Yuan's right hand man, Botta knew who Lloyd's parents were. Yuan shook his head.

"I gave Yggdrasil no names. I simply said that I had a friend on Sylvarant that would agree to guard the Chosen." A smirk danced on the cobalt's mouth as Lloyd stepped towards him. "While it might muddle with our original plans, it's not a complete disaster. If all else fails, Lloyd can kill the Chosen as she loses her soul." Lloyd grinned back up at Botta, who nodded grimly after a moment.

"Then it is a good thing that those I've selected to attack the Martel Temple with are secret agents for the Desian Human ranches." He commented, eyeing the teen with respect. "not even they could stand up long against you; I've heard the way they talk."

"Nahh … you give far too much credit." Lloyd looked at the ground, embarrassed; he wasn't that good of a warrior yet!! Yuan rolled his eyes and turned to Lloyd.

"Go rest up; you'll be leaving early in the day tomorrow." He ordered, making Lloyd snap into attention. Looking at Botta, the Seraph added on, "we'll have to recruit an outside assassin then, so there is no suspicion on Lloyd's part."

"Yes sir." Botta nodded and left the room, leaving Lloyd and Yuan alone once more. Lloyd looked at Leila and whispered something to her in dragonic, which she responded to with emphasis. Shrugging his shoulders, the teen looked back at Yuan and grinned.

"Don't over work yourself again; I'll get my reports back to you when I can." He rolled his shoulders to keep them from going stiff from the exercise as Yuan nodded. Unable to say much to tell Lloyd on what to expect, the older angel clapped a hand on Lloyd's shoulder and squeezed it firmly.

"Don't die out there, here me? I don't want to face the wrath of your parents over letting you die; especially after putting this much effort into keeping you alive and away from Mithos." Lloyd smiled solemnly at the half-elf, and nodded; this was about as sincere in terms of affection that Yuan could get. Walking out of the room, Lloyd didn't notice the worried glance that Yuan had directed at his back.

Once he was alone, Yuan sighed and walked into his office. Sitting casually on his desk, the cobalt picked up one of the few pictures he kept on his desk. It was a shot of the four friends during Kharlan, and even then Kratos had been stoic and self-reserved. "He takes after you, old friend. I think that you'd be proud of him." Yuan told the picture before placing it down and pondering just who to hire for an assassination assignment; he had an idea, but would she be available …

**_(2468642)_**

Lloyd flopped unceremoniously onto his mattress, Leila leaving his shoulder for the vantage of her perch. Lloyd ignored her, and instead focused his attention on the blank white of his ceiling, attempting to gather his thoughts. Tomorrow would be the day that another innocent's death was set, all for the sake of a twisted immortal to get his heart's desire. Oh sure, the mana flow would reverse, and in the process, sign the death of another Chosen.

"**You know what. I'd like to give this Yggdrasil the judgment that my kind would deliver to traitors and zealots back before we were nearly wiped out by that foolish war."** Leila commented after a moment, resting her head on her front paws. Lloyd had closed his eyes, appearing to the rest of the world like he was asleep.

"And what form of punishment would that be, Leila?" he asked, not bothering to open his eyes. The gold dragonet stared at her human charge as her thin, pale forked tongue flickered in the air. A wicked light danced in her eyes, testament to her ageless life before the Kharlan War.

"**Depends on how heinous the crime—or crimes, as the case may be. In this case, I'd say Yggdrasil would be slowly and meticulously pulled apart, piece by piece."** Lloyd's eyes snapped wide open and he stared at the dragon in horror as she went on. **"First would go the fingers and toes, followed shortly by each and every single feather on his wings. Then would go his hair from his head, one at a time, and most likely his manhood would follow."** Lloyd paled at that, but his gut told him that Leila was far from finished, **"and on it would go, with those pointed, hypersonic ears of his being the last thing to go, so he can hear himself scream. The worst time I saw that—and thankfully the only time—was when the Elder Breakclaw slew his mate and hatchlings in cold blood, and Ereshkigal herself doled out the punishment."** A satisfied smirk danced on Leila's face by the time she was through; Lloyd stared at the dragonet as if she were mad. **"I think he did the murder to insult her ruling, for back then only she could kill our race."**

"No wonder nobody likes to anger Ereshkigal; she'd dismember anyone who aggravates her!!" he commented once he was able to speak again.

"**I thought Sheena had taught you that saying already after the kodachi incident: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!""** Lloyd scowled at the dragonet.

"She forgave me for that, and you were there too!!" He snapped after a moment, rolling back onto his back. Leila rolled her eyes as only a dragon could and went to cleaning out her own talons, a contented noise rumbling in her throat.

Around five minutes passed like this before Lloyd let out a dejected sigh. "I miss her." He admitted after a moment; Leila snorted.

"**Whipped puppy."** The dragon's sarcastic comment was met with a pillow to the face. Growling as she removed the object and sat upon it, Leila saw that her comment had offended Lloyd, who had rolled onto his side and was not looking at her. Knowing that anything she said now would be ignored, she sighed and curled up into a ball. **"Night hatchling."** Around five minutes passed before Lloyd's sensitive hearing picked up the dragon's snores.

Sighing silently, Lloyd cursed the dragon for her sharp tongue and lack of tact; he hadn't gotten to see Sheena in four years, and he felt lonely. The stubborn kunoichi had been his only friend growing up, and he'd always seen her at least once a year growing up. Lloyd didn't complain about it in front of Yuan though, mostly out of respect; the older angel had been without his dearly beloved for over four _thousand_ years.

Pulling gently on the chain that the locket hung from, Lloyd pulled out the small gold pendant and looked at the things he kept within it. There was the picture with him and his parents, and the other side contained the little spell card model that Sheena had made for him the first time they'd met. He kept it on him, and from the way Tiga mentioned it, Sheena never took off the necklace either. That made Lloyd smile; he'd befriended one of the dwarves that worked with the Renegades, and that sort of thing was part of his lessons.

'What will she do if her world goes into decline?' Lloyd thought suddenly, sitting upright in his bed. The thought of Sheena in any kind of danger made his blood run colder than ice. Perhaps he could bring her over to Sylvarant and help her have a life here? No … that would be too big of a culture shock for Sheena, who'd grown up in a hidden village her entire life. Maybe Yuan would let her stay with the Renegades?

"_You're thinking too much, Lloyd."_A new voice sighed into Lloyd's mind, making his thoughts temporarily scatter. After regaining them, he leaned against the wall with a sigh.

'_Yes Origin-sama?'_ he asked, resisting the urge to rub his temples. About a year ago, he'd met with the Spirit King again, to decide ways to keep Yggdrasil or a summoner not with the Renegades from making a pact without sealing Origin away again. It had ended up with Lloyd forming a mana barrier around the seal that only he could pass through or lower; in the event of his death, it would last about a century or two. Because of this, Origin was able to talk with Lloyd, and did so frequently.

"_You're never going to stop calling me that, are you?"_ Origin seemed exasperated, but he ignored it and continued before Lloyd could answer _"If Yggdrasil finds out who you are before you're prepared for him, you will be forced to serve him, you do realize?"_ He demanded, and Lloyd could almost see him staring at the young angel reproachingly with at least two of his four arms crossed over his chest.

'_I've known that since I was born, Origin-sama; you're preaching to the choir there.'_ Lloyd gave a mental shrug, and he flinched when the thought of working under Yggdrasil passed through his mind. _'Still, I'd go crazy not being able to face him at least once during my life; I hate being coddled, and Yuan knows it all too well.'_ Origin was silent for a few moments, but he spoke flatly when he began again.

"_Still, if you do get yourself killed, I will make sure that the afterlife is NOT a peaceful place for you."_ With that, Origin's presence vanished, leaving Lloyd alone within his mind once again. The brunette sighed and laid back down, finally giving in and rubbing the sides of his face; things got so confusing when Origin decided to put his own two cents in, he'd discovered. At the same time though, he was grateful that the spirit king had it in him to be considerate enough to rescue Lloyd when he'd barley been big enough to last on his own.

Deciding that he would only give himself more of a headache if he pondered it any longer, Lloyd drew out his swords once again and began to sharpen their edges to a razor sharp quality, eyes aided only by the silver light of the moon.

**_(2468642)_**

The next morning found Lloyd and Yuan talking outside the base one last time before Lloyd left for Iselia, Leila on her usual perch. "Now I trust you not to do anything so stupid that your cover will be blown," Yuan began, arms crossed over his chest, "but even so, when you make your reports, be brief and to the point; if you go missing for too long, they'll question your intentions." Lloyd nodded, wings fluttering at his back; he would fly until he was a short distance away from the Martel Temple, and he would only appear if the Chosen needed help.

"Anything else … oh yes, this might seem obvious, but no giving away your last name!" Yuan's command was met with a confused look from both Lloyd and Leila. "If someone who knows enough of the obscure history of the Kharlan War recognizes it, you'll be put to answering questions with unbelievable and awkward responses." Once Lloyd nodded, Yuan sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry if this seems harsh, but I swore to your parents that I would look after you if something happened to them."

"It's alright Commander; they would've acted like that anyways." Lloyd responded, checking his wing pack to see his supplies. "Rheaird, several gels, a few pacnea bottles, a couple life bottles, dragon kibble--"

"'Dragon kibble'?" Yuan asked with an unreadable expression on his face. "Dare I ask what that contains?"

"Leftovers and small rodents diced and cooked in a sake and soy sauce mixture." Lloyd responded without looking up. "Let's see, what else; treats, communicator, an extra Key Crest, with just enough room left over for the lovely lady on my shoulder. Time to tuck in, Leila." Lloyd told the dragon, who grumbled about having to travel in a wing pack (Golden Dragons were rare on Tethe'alla, and they didn't exist on Sylvarant) but she dove into it all the same. Lloyd closed the lid.

"Can she breathe in there?" Yuan asked, eyeing the thing that was about the size of a box that you received rings in. Lloyd nodded and smiled brightly.

"Well, I'll see you later, commander!!" Lloyd gave Yuan a shaky grin before he took to the air. Yuan watched him go with a mixture of pride and concern; hopefully Lloyd wouldn't get killed when he wasn't looking. He then shook his head; if it came to that, Leila would abandon her hiding place and attack anyone that tried to hurt her "hatchling".

"Lord Yuan, is there anything more for us to do?" A Renegade had exited the base once he saw Lloyd leave. "We have informed all of our personnel not to be stunned if they see Phoenix with the Chosen." Yuan grinned ruefully and turned around again, cape swirling behind him.

"Yes, actually. Gather your squad, Taurus; we need to find ourselves an assassin."

Nearing Iselia, Lloyd let his thoughts drift over the list of things that would help him pass off as a human; no wings, he had to eat and sleep (thankfully Yuan had agreed to him not having to eat anything containing tomatoes), basic magic if he was to use it at all, basic sword techniques, no fire manipulation, and now no last name.

'Simple enough.' Lloyd grinned to himself, landing a good distance away from the southern entrance to Iselia; this had been his idea. By entering the village from the south, he would seem like he'd just come from the south, and if his excuse of being a mercenary was to be believable, it was best to come from a direction where people lived.

'**Hatchling, you better hurry; I can feel the Cruxis Crystal from here.'** Leila's mental voice sparked in Lloyd's mind, spurring the teen into walking. Lloyd patted the wing pack absently, and within a few minutes he had reached the village, which he was shocked to see bustling and very active. Several of the people noticed him and said hello, while the rest would nod in his direction, preoccupied. Lloyd would nod in return as he walked around the village.

Lloyd hadn't been there long when a blinding flash of white light filled the air, and all activity ceased. Lloyd grimaced; that was the light of the Oracle. Turning to look in the direction the light had originated from, he heard several people gasp and return to their homes, making him turn around and raise an eyebrow at the sight; here came Botta and some of the Renegades. Jumping into the shadows as they passed, he was amused to see that Vidarr—a spy working for Rodyle's ranch—was part of the number.

Around fifteen minutes of tense silence passed before Lloyd heard movement near the northern entrance. A priest had stumble into view, with several deadly wounds covering his torso and arms. Grimacing, Lloyd ran to the man and supported him just as those shuffling steps faltered. "Are you alright?" He asked, and the pastor sighed against him.

"Thank you, young man … I …have to … tell the Cho … Chosen … She should be in the school … house" he forced out between breaths, pointing at the building closest to the north entrance to the village. Lloyd understood the signal and half-walked, half-carried the pastor to the school. Opening the door with his free hand, he was startled to see a girl-sized hole in the wall right in front of him.

'Where did that come from?' Lloyd asked himself as he continued to support the pastor to the doorway that lead to the classroom. As if by some miracle, the elderly man gained enough strength to pull away from Lloyd, and he walked into the room, calling for the chosen. Lloyd was nearly to the doorway when the man fell over backwards. Catching him, Lloyd gasped, "Hang on!!"

A girl perhaps a year or two younger than him ran towards the pastor and took his hand in both of hers. "Pastor, please!! What happened?" As she spoke, a silver haired half-elf walked up, concern written all over his face. The dying pastor looked at the girl with fading eyes.

"Desians attacked the … temple … high priestess Phai … Phaidra is fine … the rest … killed …" his eyes closed, and Lloyd could barely hear his heartbeat even with his enhanced senses. "I'm sorry … that I couldn'… t protect the … Chose … n …" The blond girl gasped in horror, and the half-elf did so as well.

"Pastor!!" they both cried, but it was too late. Lloyd sighed and slowly lowered the body to the floor.

"He's gone." He said solemnly, straightening and turning to look at the two children. The girl—who he assumed was the Chosen due to her mana signature—looked at him with wide sapphire eyes. The half-elf boy looked at Lloyd as well.

"Who are you?" The half-elf asked after a moment, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Lloyd returned it with a mildly exasperated glare.

"That's of little concern right now, kid." He retorted, earning a glare from the boy.

"Hey!!"

"Genis, we should go to the Temple." The girl turned to look at the half-elf (apparently named Genis) in concern. "I'm worried about Grandmother." Genis looked at her in shock.

"But Colette …" Colette cut him off, chuckling weakly.

"I have to; I am the Chosen after all." She smiled weakly and began to walk towards the door, Genis following her shortly after. Lloyd stared after them for a moment, perplexed; this Chosen was nothing like the one for Tethe'alla. Finally shaking his head at being so foolish, he followed Colette and Genis outside just in time to see a man with blond hair—Colette's father, maybe—tell the two to come home if anything happened and walk away. The younger two simply turned for the outer exit, where they were intercepted by a pair of zombies and a ghost.

Lloyd rolled his eyes as the Chosen pulled out a pair of chakrams and Genis, a kendama. 'Don't they understand the importance of close combat weapons?' he thought after a moment, charging into the fight and planting a harsh side kick to the closer zombie's decaying ribs. As it staggered back, Lloyd drew one of his twin blades. "Demon Fang!!" the small shockwave rammed into the same zombie, which was finished off by a Fireball spell from Genis. 'A mage, that's good.' Lloyd registered the information and blocked an oncoming attack with his second sword while Colette practically tripped into her next attack, slicing off the opposite arm.

Knowing that the zombie wouldn't notice it, Lloyd spun on one heel and delivered a punishing roundhouse kick to its head before cutting it neatly in two while Colette and Genis took down the ghost together. Once the trio had stopped moving, Colette and Genis turned to look at Lloyd in awe.

"You're really good." Genis commented after a moment.

"Yeah, you're really strong, Mister!" Colette added on, clasping her hands before her. Lloyd rolled his eyes; they didn't have Exspheres, so of course he seemed strong to them.

"First off—since I think I'll have to tag along with you two so nothing happens to you—my name is Lloyd." The two younger children nodded, and so Lloyd went on, "second, the only reason I'm so strong is because of this Exsphere." Showing them the cerulean gem encased on his left hand, he continued, "It's a strength amplifier; I doubt I'd be able to swing my swords without it." Genis examined the thing with interest, but Colette was looking impatiently towards the Martel Temple and the light. Sighing, Lloyd walked towards it. "Let's hurry."

And hurry to the temple they did, only to find Phaidra cornered by Botta and a few of the men. "Where is the Chosen?" Lloyd chuckled at the sound of the brunette half-elf's voice; so intimidating. Colette chose that moment to race up the steps with Genis and Lloyd behind her, her cry of "grandmother!!" ringing in the air.

Botta and two of the "Desians" turned at that, correctly identifying Colette as the Chosen and attacking. Botta watched Lloyd intently to see what the angel would do. Lloyd grinned and began to fight as well, but he let Colette and Genis deal out most of the damage, opting instead to use "First Aid" on the two when they became too injured.

Finally, the two fell, and out tromped Vidarr, swinging his flail around like an idiot; at least to Lloyd, who listed all of the ways that a competent adversary could use the motion for while utilizing such a chance himself. Rushing in, he began to gouge at Vidarr's arms with his blades. Lloyd could hear Colette and Genis preparing their own attacks, along with Botta giving the order to retreat.

Vidarr, not used to having someone of Lloyd's size attacking him, brought out his war hammer. Swinging the immense weapon, he brought it down towards Lloyd. Flipping away, he quickly raced up the haft and used one of his favorite moves; low level and power in the same package!

"_Kokuhyou__ tsume_!!" light flowed around one of Lloyd's swords as he drug it down Vidarr's back, parallel with the infantryman's spine. The technique was actually one passed down through his family that grew stronger as the person did; Yuan had seen Kratos use it occasionally back during the war, and Lloyd had picked up the skill after the dirt basics were explained to him.

Colette, using Vidarr's moment of pain, swung out whit her chakrams and gouged his neck completely on accident. Genis—in an effort to help—cast a Stone edge attack beneath him just as Lloyd drove a sword through the larger man's abdomen. The three attacks at once were too much for Vidarr, and he fell to the earth, dead. Lloyd smirked. Flipping his left handed sword so that it rested across his shoulder, he turned away from the dead body. _"Hoteru __annafuuni __inpu, zainin."_ Although the four present couldn't understand his words, the tone of Lloyd's voice was unmistakable. Phaidra regained the ability to speak first.

"Thank you, young sir, for coming to the aid of the Chosen. May I ask who you are?" Lloyd turned to look at her, a smile on his face.

"I'm called Lloyd." Colette and Genis both stared at Lloyd in awe; just who was this guy, and where was he from. Lloyd ignored the stunned glances and returned his gaze to the blinding light glowing from within the temple. "The light of the Oracle still burns." He commented lightly, making Colette squeak behind him.

"The Oracle!! Grandmother, I have to go!" grabbing Genis' arm, the blond pulled the half-elf through the doorway. Phaidra and Lloyd looked after them with a sigh. Phaidra finally turned to Lloyd, who shrugged.

"You are a mercenary, right?" the elderly woman asked, to which Lloyd nodded. Sighing, Phaidra spoke softly, "We might not have much, but we will pay you to protect Colette." Lloyd looked at her in surprise; they must've been desperate to protect the Chosen if they were willing to hire a complete stranger.

"We can discuss that once the Chosen receives the Oracle." Lloyd shook his head before Phaidra could object. "Right now, I must catch up with the two of them in case something nastier than "Desians" lurk in the temple." Phaidra nodded, and Lloyd walked into the temple with one thought echoing in his head.

'Within five minutes of knowing this Chosen, I have to say this …

'That girl is denser than lead.'

**_(2468642)_**

_Konmei no homura—Chaos blaze  
__Kokuhyou__ tsume—damnation claw  
Hoteru __annafuuni __inpu, zainin—roughly translates to "burn in hell, sinner"_

_Yeah, I think you guys can see why I split this up into two halves again; it was long enough as it is, and I need to wrap it up. "Day of Prophecy part two" will be up shortly!! Until then, review please!!_


	7. Day of Prophecy part II

_Well, time to finsih this.  
__**Leila: **__Bout time, you lazy gixie.  
Hey!! T.T  
__**Leila:**__ Phe, with the way you're working on the rest of your stuff, it almost makes me think you don't want to work on this anymore. And I AM your physical incarnation!!  
I do!! It's just that I've got so many other things to update … and stuff that I'm waiting to post … X.X  
__**Leila:**__ Finish the "Four Gods" quartet before you post anything new, ya hear?  
Hai, Leila-san … X.X  
__**Leila:**__ Alright. –to readers- you know the disclaimer, so don't ask for it; just read!! _

**7. Day of Prophecy part 2**

* * *

The inside of the Martel Temple was large and spacious, and yet Lloyd could sense the monsters that swarmed the hallways from this distance. They were all at a far lower level of strength than the rest of the monsters that he was used to fighting with the Renegades, and yet he figured that the two younger children with him hadn't faced anything of this strength yet. 'Such a sheltered life.' He thought, watching the way Genis spun around in place, looking around him with an awestruck look on his face.

"This is such a cool place!" Genis exclaimed, finally stopping and standing up straight. Colette giggled at that, but her eyes held a worried expression.

"I think the way to the chapel room is this way …" She muttered to herself, and started in the direction she had glanced. Lloyd followed her quietly, grabbing Genis by the arm when it became clear the boy hadn't heard what Colette had said.

"Hey!!" he squawked, not used to being drug along by an older boy. Lloyd spared a glance in his direction.

"Are you coming or are we going to have to keep you outside?" He asked, letting Genis go just as they neared a doorway that was sealed with some sort of mana. Leila, who was listening intently from within the wingpack, growled deep in her throat. **'That damn Yggdrasil … such a menial seal, I know he can do better than this … Come on, hatchling, just throw a fire bomb at it!!'** Lloyd shook his head with a sigh.

'**Remember what Commander said; no throwing fire.'**He thought back to the dragon, before looking at the door. " … What a weak mana seal …" he muttered under his breath, looking the glowing turquoise light over. Colette didn't hear him, but instead looked behind her at Lloyd in worry.

"This wasn't here before." She commented.

'**Brilliant, Sherlock! However did you guess? That's right; it's about as obvious as your lack of mental capacity!'** Lloyd ignored Leila's comment and shrugged.

"Perhaps it's part of the trial?" he offered, while both he and Leila were thinking the same thing, **'Forget being denser than lead; her mind IS lead.'** Genis looked at him in confusion.

"What trial?"

"And here I thought someone with your intelligence level would know about the Chosen's trial." Lloyd replied calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Before the Chosen of Mana can receive Martel's blessing, they must first go through a trial; that's why there's monsters in this otherwise sanctuary for the pious. And that would also explain why the doorway is sealed; there might be something within this temple that can break through its center.'

'**Besides one of your fire bombs, of course.'** Leila commented, and Lloyd nearly scowled outwardly as well as mentally.

'**Leila …'**

'**I know, but still … that fairy must be either overconfident or every bit as dense as this Chosen.'** Thankfully, the dragonet fell silent in time for Lloyd to register the next comment. But this one came from behind.

"My my, I didn't know that strangers were allowed in here, no matter how knowledgeable they are." Watching Genis go paler than the dead—nearly as pale as Ereshkigal's face, now that he thought about it—Lloyd figured that this person wasn't someone Genis wanted to see him in the temple. Turning around while keeping Genis behind him, Lloyd found himself locking eyes with a woman who looked nearly identical to the young half-elf; she had a staff in her hand, and Lloyd didn't like the look she was giving him.

"Hello?" He offered, not knowing what else to say. The half-elf narrowed her eyes more, and swung her staff at his legs. Not knowing what else to do, Lloyd kicked at it, knocking it out of her hands. "What the hell was that for?!" He snapped, patience wearing thin.

'**Obviously the brat's mother.'** Leila muttered, and Lloyd could almost see her glaring at Genis through the wingpack.

'**No, she's too young to be that.' **Lloyd responded while the woman went to get her staff, feeling the shocked gazes of Genis and Colette on his back. Leila snorted, and he could tell she was rolling her eyes at him.

"**Hatchling, she's a half-elf, despite whatever claims they may make. **(During their introduction on the way to the temple, Genis had said he was an elf)**Up until they hit five hundred or so, they don't age past mature mortal age. And even then, they age slowly.'**

'**Her mana feels like it's in its early twenties; she would've had the brat at eleven at the youngest. My bet's on her being an older sister.'** Lloyd cut off the conversation there, for the half-elf had fetched her staff and was standing before them again, glaring at Lloyd like a wolf eyed a fox near its cubs.

"You're awfully rude." She commented.

"You're the one who swung your staff at me before say why!" Lloyd rapped out in retort, trying desperately to rein in his temper; if he completely snapped, he could give Leila a run for the "Harsh Reality" title. The half-elf looked about to snap at Lloyd when Colette finally spoke up.

"It's alright Professor!! Grandmother asked Lloyd to look after me!! He save Genis and I from Desians earlier!" Colette walked forward and, in a display of clumsiness that made Lloyd grateful Colette wore pants under her dress, tripped down the steps to land flat on her face.

'**I'll give … 9 for the fall but only … 3 for the technique.' **Leila sniggered, obviously enjoying herself. Lloyd had to agree with her.

"Are you alright, Chosen?" He asked, kneeling on the steps and helping her stand up again. He had forgotten that Genis was behind him, and only when the Professor as Colette had called her let out an angry shriek—Lloyd's ears were ringing incessantly by then—did he look up and figure out what was going on; Colette was sitting upright again, and Lloyd had given her an apple gel for the cut on her head.

"Genis Merlin Sage!! What on earth are you doing here!?" Genis went even paler, and he shuddered.

"Raine!! I – I was helping Colette!!" Although the futile excuse was the truth, Raine still stepped towards him. Lloyd—who had a good idea of what was coming—looked away out of respect and apology for Genis. The smacking sound echoed in the chamber for a moment or so before it stopped and Lloyd looked again; Genis was kneeling on the ground and looked like he was in serious pain, and Raine was standing over him with an angry expression on her face.

'**I like her style.'** Leila commented, obviously impressed. Lloyd could only wince as Genis slowly stood up again. Now that she was certain that her younger brother had been justly punished for disobeying her and leaving the classroom, Raine turned to Lloyd again.

"While I must be lenient on you, because Colette said you defended her and Genis and Phaidra asked you to watch them, I hope you know I do not trust you." Raine stated coldly, and Lloyd grinned wickedly.

'**Uh oh.'** Leila smirked. **'I know that look … hatchling, be sure to watch what you say; you just might slip up.'** Lloyd heeded the dragon's words, but continued to grin dangerously at Raine.

"I never said I wanted you to trust me, I just wanted to know why you were attacking me." He commented, grin never leaving his face. "Certainly I'm not an assassin; why would I had let the Chosen live when the Desians attacked?" Savoring the irony of the last sentence, Lloyd went on, "Not only that, but a mercenary should only be trusted to do their work properly, without mixing trust or alliances into the mix; it complicates things if you expect the person to be loyal to you." Raine was staring at him again, as was Genis and Colette.

"How old are you?" Raine snapped, "You seem far too young to be a professional mercenary."

"I'll be eighteen this coming September." Lloyd responded, crossing his arms again.

"Seventeen!!" Raine gasped, indignant. He was a year and a half older than Colette!! "Are your parents aware of what you are doing?!" She demanded, staff thunking onto the ground with authority. When Lloyd's face showed a flicker of shock, Raine though she had him cornered. It was only when Lloyd turned away and clenched a fist, stone silent, did she realize she'd touched on a nerve.

"They're dead." Lloyd hissed harshly, eyes narrowed and burning. "They've been dead since I was three; so no, they don't." There was a bitter tone in his voice, and everyone present stared at him in confusion and guilt. Colette went to put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder when she noticed that his nails were starting to break skin, and that he wasn't through yet. "I wouldn't have made it if they hadn't died, and I … I …" Lloyd shook, as if seeing a nightmare.

'**Shit!! Shit, shit, SHIT!!'** Leila was frantic now, and she was about ready to burst out of the wingpack. **'Damn half-elf, mentioning his parents!! Even if Verius and Origin managed to stop it from harming him totally, it's still made a wreck out of his emotions!! Mention either one of them like that and he'll go …!! I can't sit here and let that happen!!'** With that thought in mind, Leila jumped to the edge of the wingpack and stuck out her neck. Quicker than lightning, the dragonet had bitten onto Lloyd's arm with her sharp teeth, piercing the gauntlet to bite flesh. **"SNAP OUT OF IT!"**

Lloyd yelped at the sudden sensation of something biting him, and he jerked his arm out of Leila's mouth. Looking the bite marks over, Lloyd scowled mentally at Leila as the dragonet slipped just as quickly back into the wingpack. **'And you tell ME not to blow my cover!!' **He scolded her, eyes narrowed.

'**I will NOT have you fall into the soulless state AGAIN!'** Leila all but roared into his mind, remembering the time when Lloyd had been ten. **'That would ruin our cover a LOT more than me biting you!!' **Lloyd didn't respond, knowing she was right. Growling under his breath, he cast a quick First Aid spell.

"Are you alright, Lloyd?" Colette asked, worried.

" … I'm fine, it's just hard to think about them without losing my temper." Lloyd sighed, turning around. Genis was staring at him with the same expression as Colette, and Raine seemed to feel guilty. "Right now though, we should be focused on finding something that can break this seal." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the doorway.

"I think the Sorcerer's Ring can break through it." Colette commented, looking at the wall. "But I … don't know where it is." Lloyd, who had finally felt like they were getting somewhere, nearly fell over backwards out of exasperation; so STUPID!

"Let's go find it then." Genis cut in, seeing the exasperation on Lloyd's face; obviously the mercenary could take only so much of Colette's clumsiness before losing it. "Perhaps it's down one of the other two hallways."

"It would be down the right; I was just down the left one, and it's completely blocked off." Raine put in, eyeing Lloyd in suspicion again. "Let's try the right, and if it's not there, we can try the other way." Colette and Genis both nodded, and Lloyd shrugged. The blond grabbed onto Lloyd's arm and dragged her along as she led Genis down the hallway. Raine took up the rear, her gaze still locked onto Lloyd's back.

'Whoever this boy is—and I suspect that he's not as nice as he seems to be—I better keep an eye on him.' She thought, than felt her mind flicker back to the thing that had appeared briefly out of his pack; it looked like something gold and reptilian. 'I wonder what he keeps in that pack apart from medicines; perhaps a unique species of animal!! I must find a way to investigate this!' Trotting to keep up with the three teenagers, Raine saw Lloyd cut a spider neatly in two while Genis managed to best a ghost with a Stone Edge spell. Colette was beating a zombie back into powder when Lloyd's blade clove through its back.

"Piece of cake." Lloyd smirked as the zombie fell, then looked at Raine. "What took you? We thought you were behind us, then I didn't catch a glimpse of you while fighting." Raine felt herself panic briefly.

"I was just wondering about where the Sorcerer's Ring could be if it's not in this temple." She responded after a moment of hesitation. Lloyd raised an eyebrow over one wine colored eye, but didn't comment. He simply turned around and led the three down the steps at the end of the hallway. Raine followed at an even pace, but any chance that she had to question Lloyd was knocked aside as Colette began speaking to the teen.

"Where did you grow up, Lloyd?" She asked, and Raine noticed right away that Colette was blushing as she spoke to him.

'Oh dear, she's already infatuated with him.' She thought, and began thinking of ways that she could keep Lloyd and Colette from developing a relationship. Her fears were revealed groundless as Lloyd looked at her in annoyance.

"Name a place, I've most likely been there." He responded evenly, eyes forward in case of monsters.

"Asgard?" Genis offered, deciding to find out what he could about the older boy.

"Yes, several times, actually."

"Luin?" Lloyd flinched, and Raine took note of the action; why did he react to naming a place.

" … once or twice." 'Mom was only _born_ there!' He whispered after a moment, falling silent despite the other questions that Genis and Colette were showering him with. He seemed to close off, but he at least responded when they reached the next floor. "Why are there holes in the floor?" He asked, looking down; despite his enhanced sight, he couldn't see the bottom. "It looks like it goes on forever down there; I'd hate to fall …" Lloyd glanced at Colette with the statement, eyeing the Chosen warily as she and the others exclaimed over finding the Sorcerer's Ring.

"Now how do we get to it?" Genis asked, brow furrowed as he tried to work out this new puzzle. Raine was wearing a smiliar expression, and Colette had turned to Lloyd when her eyes spied the golem walking around.

"What's this?" She asked, walking up to it like a dog to a stranger. Lloyd looked up just as the beast turned toward her and raised an arm.

"SHIT!!" He hollered, and ran towards Colette as fast as he could without using his angelic senses and abilities, which was pretty fast. Slamming into Colette's side, he knocked the Chosen away and onto her butt beside the others just as the golem's fist pounded into the dirt where she'd been standing. "This is a golem!! They're not exactly friendly, I hope you know!" Lloyd barked, drawing a sword and smacking it into the golem with most of his force behind it.

It didn't take the other three long to begin attacking the golem as well. Raine quickly noticed that Lloyd was unusually strong for a teenage boy, and she didn't notice the Exsphere on his left hand until he landed right in front of her after finishing an attack. 'How did he get that?' she thought, but didn't ponder it long as Colette's final attack had turned the golem into a stone block.

"Now what do we do with it?" Genis asked, staring at it with annoyance. Colette looked about ready to answer, but instead she tripped and knocked the GolemCube™ down one of the holes. Lloyd groaned; that was so stupidly obvious!!

'**I agree with you Leila; Yggdrasil's an idiot.'** He told the dragon as he and the others proceeded to kill the other golems as they appeared and knock the GolemCubes™ down the rest of the holes. It took about fifteen minutes for them to finish, and as they all raced down to get the ring, Lloyd hung back and stared across the emptiness at something glowing and vermilion.

_**So your task begins, child of Fenghuang. **_It was Suzaku, just as silent sounding as Lloyd remembered. _**Do not hesitate, for if you do, you shall not live to see the first year of your adult life.**_ After her portentous statement, the goddess vanished into thin air, and Raine trotted back over to him.

"What are you staring at, Lloyd?" She asked, suspicion kicking in.

"… I thought I saw something, that's all." Lloyd responded as Genis and Colette came back over; Colette wore the Sorcerer's Ring. "Let's go and break the seal then." With that, the teen led the small group back up the stairs and to the sealed walkway.

Once the seal was taken care of, Colette lead the way to a small warp panel located near the end of the hallway. As soon as she stepped on it, she vanished into the air. While Raine and Genis were surprised, Lloyd simply walked forward impassively and warped into the chapel room as well. Ignoring the bright light emanating from the Cruxis Crystal located within the altar, Lloyd slipped silently into the shadow of a pillar as Raine and Genis arrived.

"This seems to be the highest floor in here." Raine commented, looking around. "And the light seems to be coming from the Cruxis Crystal."

"Yeah …" Colette chuckled weakly, clasping her hands before her again. "They said I was born with that in my hand." As if it was a cue, a brilliant, golden light issued from above, and down descended an angel on snow white wings. His blond hair covered his tapered ears, and only one sapphire blue eye was visible. The accents on his uniform were gold. Lloyd arched an eyebrow from the shadows; he didn't think that Yggdrasil would send an angel of a high ranking to play Guardian Angel to the Chosen.

Then again, Botta said that the sensors indicated that Colette's mana signature was closest to Martel; maybe Yggdrasil wanted to be certain that this pretty little sacrifice made it to the Tower uninjured.

"Chosen One, Colette," The angel began, his voice ringing in the chamber. "I am Remiel, Guardian Angel. We of Cruxis bless you, and bestow upon you this Cruxis Crystal." As Remiel spoke, the Cruxis Crystal that had lain unmoving before now hovered in the air, and moved silently towards Colette. In a second blinding flash of light, it had attached itself neatly to her neck.

"I … humbly accept this task, Lord Remiel." Colette whispered in response, eyes distant.

'She knows already.' Lloyd thought in awe, eyes widening a fraction. 'She already knows that she's going to die.' Remiel didn't see the brunette angel tucked away, and continued speaking.

"We of Cruxis bless this event as well, and shall grant upon Sylvarant the Tower of Salvation." With a rumbling of the earth, the endless ivory tower appeared in the misty distance outside the temple's window. Lloyd merely glanced at it briefly before returning his gaze to Remiel. He ignored Raine and Genis as they exclaimed over the Tower, and simply focused on what was going to happen next with the two blonds.

"Head for the south, towards the first seal, Chosen. From there, you shall unlock the way to the Tower of Salvation, and you shall become an angel." With that, Remiel began to ascend back into the heavens once more, but Colette stopped him with a cry.

"W-wait!! Are you really my …" She tapered off, but Lloyd could guess what she was about to say. Remiel gave her a smile that only a professional liar like Lloyd could tell was false.

"Head for the seal, my daughter; we shall meet again after it has been broken." With that, he vanished into the heavens.

'**What. A. Ham.'** Leila snorted in distaste after Remiel had left. **'How cruel of him, to play with the Chosen's mind so before she dies!' **

'**I can't believe she bought it.**' Lloyd responded, before appearing out of the shadows. Colette was practically glowing over Remiel's announcement, and she didn't notice anything else until Lloyd put a hand on her shoulder. "We should head back for Iselia, Chosen." He told her, and turned and stepped onto the warp pad. He heard the others follow him, but he didn't so much as raise a comment or speak to them at all.

* * *

It was nighttime, and Lloyd found himself sitting on the railing between the school yard and the walkway into town. The events of the afternoon had been annoying and a pain in the rear, but as long as nobody found him suspicious, he didn't care. What bothered him was having to stay in the village overnight; he could feel the effect of the trauma from years ago even at his current distance. Leila sat beside him on the post, and she looked at Lloyd in concern. **"You should go see them, Lloyd."** She commented, hopping idly to his shoulder and running a taloned paw through his hair. **"I know you didn't want to go into details about them in front of that half-elf, but you don't have to restrain yourself from going to pay your respects."**

"**I know … but it's all still very painful …"** Lloyd responded, sighing. "**I can close my eyes and see it happening still."** Hugging his knees, he sighed again. **"I just hope I can play innocent for the duration of the Journey in front of Raine; she's more suspicious of me than ten people put together."**

"**And the Chosen's completely gaga for you."** Leila sniggered, knowing that she had hit a nerve with saying that; Lloyd didn't like Colette's affection.

"**She's so sweet and innocent it makes my teeth rot. Not to mention the fact that she makes rocks look like a spices with advanced intelligence."** Lloyd rolled his eyes, staring up at the stars. **"I don't know why she's acting like that around me."**

"**Because, to be completely honest as a woman--"**

"**You're a woman?" **Leila smacked Lloyd with her wing at that.

"**As I was saying, Colette's probably falling over for the same reason those girls nearly mobbed you in Ozette; you're attractive to the female mind. Get over it."**

"**I don't **_**like **_**being crawled over by girls that want to hop in bed with me, Leila!!"** Lloyd wailed comically, **"I don't know what is wrong with Zelos that makes him like that sort of attention, but it makes me cringe!!"**

"**You ARE a whipped puppy! I bet Sheena keeps you on a short leash to boot."** Leila sniggered wickedly at that, relishing the crimson blush that stained Lloyd's face.

"**LEILA!!"**

"**Ah, whatever the case may be, you won't be seeing her until this assignment is over. Just sush it and get to bed, even if you don't sleep." **Leila watched Lloyd as he stalked off to the Chosen's house, silently climbing back into the window that he had crawled out of only fifteen minutes ago. The dragonet waited for him to fake falling asleep before taking to the air, sailing towards the forest on gilded wings.

_

* * *

_

(Renegade base …)

"So you think you can handle this, Sheena?" Yuan asked, looking over the young woman before him. She's changed so much appearance wise since he'd last seen her, but the dragon scale necklace was still the same. "I know it seems a bit underhanded, but it's what we need done."

Sheena shuffled her feet nervously as she looked around the base. "Where's Lloyd?" She asked after a moment, hoping that he would be around and willing to help her out. Yuan's eyes flickered for a brief moment, but his voice was even when he responded.

"Out. I'm sorry." Sheena sighed, and looked over the assignment notes that Botta had given to Yuan as soon as he and the surviving Renegades had returned.

" … Yeah, I'll do it." She said after a moment, and a dangerous gold light flickered in her eyes; Yuan knew that there was more to it than a simple reflection of her necklace in the light; Sheena meant business.

'She is going to kill me when she finds out Lloyd's the Chosen's bodyguard … I hope Lloyd can fill her in on what's happening before she kills him and me.' Yuan thought as he watched Sheena leave. 'Then again, I think she's more than likely to tackle Lloyd out of glee after being away from him for so long, but then everything would burst into flames …'

_

* * *

_

Finally done!! The Journey can finally begin!!

_**Leila:**__ I'm going to laugh when Sheena sees her little puppy again.  
… you're never going to stop calling Lloyd that, are you?  
__**Leila:**__ Of course! I AM the Devil's Advocate, after all. X3-leaves-  
… Dragons. They have to have the last word. -.-'_

_Oh yeah, just a reminder, font like _**This**_ mean that Lloyd and Leila are speaking dragonic, and no one else understands what the bloody hell they're saying. That's beside the fact that they're talking telepathically for the majority of the chapter …_

_Now, review!! It keeps Leila happy, and she doesn't threaten to bite my hands off at the wrist!!  
__**Leila:**__ I keep telling you, it's a cure for carpel tunnel syndrome!  
Exactly!! I don't have carpel tunnel!! Just a sore neck!!_


	8. Shades of the Past

_And now the journey –Finally- starts!! XD But things are going to get REALLY knocked off kilter this time round … and before I forget, the staff mentioned in chapter … five, I think? Yeah, five; wrong element; it's supposed to be lightning, not earth. Something else is earth._

_Oh, and as a side note, I don't get angry easily. I hate beating around the bush, though, and I am typically just going to come out and say something. I apologize in advanced if it seems like I'm biting your head off; I'm not. I'm being me. Just a heads up! –nods-_

_Now let us begin!! I own nothing that is in the least bit familiar … save for Leila._

**8. Shades of the past**

_

* * *

_

Lloyd found himself standing in the same, endless black plane that he had first been trapped within four years previously. The only difference was that this time, he could feel the cold air hitting his skin .Last time there had been the heat of the forge and the smell of the ocean, but now … it truly was endless… and something about that endless space sent shivers of worry down his back; he didn't know why, but for some reason, he didn't like this darkness …

_**Mana …**_

_A voice called from behind Lloyd, making him spin around. But once he had, he immediately wanted to scream in horror._

_Standing before the teen was a creature whose form was twisted and dark, deepset, glowing gold eyes locked onto his own. __**Must consume Mana … Darkness will consume this place … Flee from me, you foolish child … flee …Before me, you are nothing … that foolish bird should've known that any of that bloodline would be killed instantly …none of them have **_**HIS**_** strength left in their veins … none have the powers of the Phoenix after he died … Flee …**__ Lloyd didn't flee, for he couldn't move at all; the golden glare had paralyzed him. Desperate, he found his gaze traveling down to the monsters loping four arms, and what he saw clenched nearly did make him scream._

'_No … no no no!!' three all too familiar forms were being held, one in each hand. There were his parents, Yuan … Shuddering as he backed away, the monster seemed to laugh in twisted victory, for it revealed the body clenched within its fourth arm. Lloyd shook his head as he recognized nothing about this blackened, burned body. _

_That was before the glint of gold caught his eyes. "NO!!" Lloyd fell to his knees, trembling in horror and disbelief; it couldn't be her as well …_

_As if sensing its victory was close at hand, the monster charged towards him, depositing the bodies with an unceremonious toss to the winds. One of its four clawed, immense hands reached out and looked ready to cleave his being in two when a glow lit the ground beneath Lloyd. Almost as if it was a summons, Lloyd cried out some word that escaped him for the moment, but the fire flared and formed a billowing shape between him and the thing. It wouldn't hold for long, but it would be long enough for him to run away …_

Lloyd woke with a gasp, eyes wide, and a cold, icy sweat racing down his back. That had been too terrifyingly real … What was that dark thing? Whatever it was, it seemed to be hunting him; why else would it be holding those four people's lifeless bodies, and why would he be holding the two he knew were dead alongside the two were alive? And what word had he said …? Almost as hazily as the dream itself, two words drifted into his mind …

_Ameno eidan._

Lloyd's eyes narrowed; they were Mizuhoen words, but not ones he had learned before. What did they mean?

Deciding that he would only give himself a headache if he thought over them for too much longer, Lloyd stood upright, pulling on his boots and his swords as Leila fluttered into the window. **"Hatchling … I smell danger coming from the forest … be ready."** The dragonet warned as she dove into the wing pack. Lloyd looked at her in concern; whatever it was that was coming, it had to be serious if Leila decided to warn him ahead of time.

Strapping on his blades with a solemn face, Lloyd stepped out of the doorway just as the Chosen bounded down the steps with her usual smile. "Good morning Lloyd!!" Colette chirped, cheeks slightly pink at Lloyd's appearance; the brunette's vest was open, revealing his tight grey shirt. Lloyd looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Morning, Chosen." He replied, stretching his arms as he walked towards the open door.

"Uh … Lloyd, don't you want something to eat?" Colette asked, making Lloyd halt in surprise. He forgot that he was supposed to behave like a normal human while he was with the Chosen's group. Shaking his head, he turned and smiled at Colette with false sincerity.

"Sorry Chosen, but it's a force of habit." He explained, pulling out a chair at the table and sitting. Colette giggled in response, and sat across from him. Propping her elbows on the table she began to look at Lloyd in curiosity.

"So Lloyd … do you have anything that you like to do in your spare time?" Colette asked, looking down to hide her blush. Lloyd looked at her in concern before nodding.

"Well … I like training, if that counts. I also like to read on occasion, and I also like to make things." He admitted, omitting three of his other hobbies; fire manipulation, working on new spells, and playing Roast the Ghost with Leila. Roast the Ghost simply was where he and Leila hid things around the base that needed to be finished off—such as extra Exspheres—and burned them into nonexistence. The reason they called it Roast the Ghost was because there were a few incidences where the souls of those who were trapped within the Exsphere would thank them for their deed after the Exsphere's demise.

Colette nodded as Lloyd finished, eyes wide. There was something special about Lloyd, but what was it? He was always so solemn and quiet, but his smiles were always so warm and mysterious that it made her melt. Perhaps there was something about the way he spoke, but then again, she could just be anxious for the journey to start, no matter what was to come at the end.

'If it will save Sylvarant, I have nothing that I should be complaining about.' She scolded herself mentally, watching Lloyd with wide eyes as he began drumming his fingers on the table. She was saved from having to ask Lloyd if he was bored by her grandmother entering the room with a plate of waffles. Colette took her usual amount—two waffles and a slice of bacon—while Lloyd helped himself to a waffle and a piece of sausage. "Is that enough for you, Lloyd?" She asked, concerned.

Lloyd looked up at her, and at first he seemed annoyed. It quickly vanished as he shrugged and took a bite. "I've never had too much of an appetite, honestly." He admitted once he was through, "my father was much the same way, from what I can remember."

"Oh … I see." Colette said politely, remembering how Lloyd had acted when his parents were mentioned yesterday. The rest of the meal was eaten in a mutual silence, even though Colette would occasionally sneak a look at Lloyd while he ate; if he noticed, he didn't comment. When it was all through, they stood.

"It's time, Chosen." Lloyd said gently, beckoning her to walk with him. Colette nodded and bid farewell to her father and grandmother as she walked towards Lloyd; this would be the last time she ever saw them, but she forced herself to not cry. She had to be strong for them, as well as for herself.

Walking out the door, they weren't too surprised to see Raine standing there, waiting for them. Genis was with her, but he wasn't to accompany; Phaidra had agreed to watch him while Raine was gone with Lloyd and Colette on the Journey. "I hope that you two are ready to go." She commented lightly, eyeing Lloyd in concern; the boy only had his small pack and his swords with him.

"I'm all set." Lloyd nodded, not acknowledging her look. "How about you, Chosen?" he asked Colette.

"She has a name, you know!" Genis berated him, only for Raine to put a hand on his shoulder. The older half-elf could understand why Lloyd was calling Colette "Chosen"; not only was it respectful, but as a mercenary, he had to remain aloof and detached from those he worked for. But she couldn't help but wonder if this was also a side effect of losing his parents so young …

"Yep! I'm all set!" Colette chirped happily, smiling at Lloyd with admiration in her eyes. Lloyd merely nodded and turned towards the southern exit of the village when an explosion rocked the sky. Looking up, Lloyd smelt fire in the air and used a word foul enough to make Raine and Genis to stare at him in shock and for Colette to clap her hands over her head with a squeak.

"**Watch your mouth, or I'll wash it out with soap … ten times over!!" **The scolding was Leila's only reaction. Lloyd ignored her, trying to figure out what could have set the buildings on fire; only one thing came to mind.

"Damn Desians!" he spat, charging in the direction of the smoke and flames, which came from the south. The other three followed him at a run, eyes wide with horror.

"It couldn't be Desians; we have a non-aggression treaty with them!" Raine commented as they neared the scene.

"Desperate people do desperate things in desperate times!!" Lloyd retorted, drawing a blade as the Grand Cardinal of the ranch himself came into view. Leave it to Forcystus, a hero of the conflicts between humans and half-elves (Well, a hero for the half-elves) to be present at the raising of a human village. Growling deep in his throat, he settled his eyes on the sorcerer beside Forcystus, and threw the blade.

None of the half-elves were expecting a blade to come whistling through the air at them, but once the rotating blade severed the head of the sorcerer and thunked into the head of the one beside him, they all turned and looked at the direction where it had come from. Forcystus' eyes narrowed as the leader of the group came into view; he looked tantalizingly familiar, but who …

"What do you want here, Desians?!" Lloyd demanded as he and the others reached the plaza in the walkway. Raine, Genis and Colette stared around them in horror; houses were on fire or collapsed, and there were a few dead bodies scattered throughout the area. Those that lived were all cowering in fear behind the mayor, who looked terrified himself. Forcystus looked at Lloyd in disgust.

"You're not the Chosen; why did you bother coming over here, half-elf?" He asked, looking directly at Lloyd. The rest of the village stared at him, only for Lloyd to laugh heartily.

"Sorry, you must be confused; I have no elf blood in me." He drew the blade at his left side and pointed it directly at the leaf haired half-elf. "And here I thought the half-elf hero Forcystus could tell his own kind apart from a human; it seems I was wrong." Cocking a head to one side, he finished, "And since you seem to be after the life of the Chosen, I am afraid that you will be unable to pass; she is in my charge."

Forcystus growled under his breath; no mere human should have such a strong aura. And judging by Lloyd's statement, he wasn't going to make the raising of Iselia easy; their excuse of coming to claim the life of the Chosen was practically stopped, but he wasn't going to go down easily. "Oh really now?" he taunted, and leveled his arm cannon. "Let's see what you can do against this!" He hollered, firing off a series of wind bombs.

Lloyd waited for them to near, than slashed two into nothingness while dodging one and casting a Guardian spell to cancel out the final one. "Heh, that was easy." He commented, a smirk dancing on his lips. Straightening, he showed the Desians his Exsphere. "You bums aren't the only ones who use Exspheres!!" Forcystus gritted his teeth as the Exsphere was shown to him; that color was immediately recognizable, and now so was the human, which confused him horribly; Lloyd had died with his parents, right!?

"!! How could a mere mortal like you manage to get your hands on the Angelus Project?" he demanded, acting the fool; these people clearly didn't know who Lloyd was, and it would be best to keep them from finding out. Lloyd merely shifted his grip and threw the sword he held in that hand with ease. Dodging the rotating metal, Forcystus had to laugh. "Such a menial trick!! You humans ha—nng!" He hissed in pain as Lloyd tugged on a previously unseen string, which returned the blade to his hand. A tug from his right hand brought the other blade back to his hand.

Lloyd grinned again, grateful that the trick he had seen Sheena use and improvised with invisible mana ropes that he could connect at will worked as well as it did. Not only did it catch people off guard that he knew how to throw weapons, but when they returned to his hands as if by magic … their expressions were priceless. Now as Forcystus stood, holding a wound in his side, he waited on edge, not knowing what the Desian's next move would be.

Forcystus grimaced, and then smiled darkly; it was time. "Heh … let's see how well you handle this thing!" He snapped out, and beckoned one of his men. Understanding the signal, the man snapped a whip, and a lumbering, scaly, sickly green beast wandered into view, dragging three taloned arms alongside its steps. Lloyd felt his breath catch; an Exubla!!

Instantly his shock turned from shock to disgust; he had turned an innocent into an Exubla just to unleash on a village!? His eyes caught sight of the horrified Genis, and his mind immediately connected with his thoughts. 'I see; they wanted to punish someone for trying to help the human, and they're using the excuse of attacking the Chosen as a way to get away with it.' His disgust deepened, and struck the Exubla only once with his sword before charging Forcystus.

The Desian—not expecting the maneuver, barley managed to get his arm cannon up in self-defense before Lloyd rammed into him, actually managing to knock him back a few paces. "COWARD!!" Lloyd roared at him, eyes flaring with rage. "Sending one of your victims to do your dirtywork while you sit behind the danger and laugh it up!!" he spat out, bringing a blade up as if to slash. Forcystus went to duck when he saw his mistake; Lloyd's other sword came up and landed pommel first into his chin, sending him skyward.

The other three were busy fighting the Exubla, but even they froze at Lloyd's words; a victim? Confused, they would've stopped entirely at that if Lloyd hadn't hollered back at them, "Don't hesitate!! They have no human memory left!!" Spinning around, the boy managed to drive a sword deep into the Exubla's leg. It let out a mournful cry and fell to one knee, still swinging out with its arms.

Genis looked between Lloyd and the Exubla in horror. 'Is he right Marble? Do you not remember me!?' he wailed in his mind, looking up in horror at what had once been his elderly friend.

Meanwhile, Forcystus had straightened again while Lloyd drew his blade out of the Exubla's leg. Charging Lloyd, he brought his cannon down in a hammer like blow, only to miss as Lloyd rolled away. "You're not in the clear yet, human!" Forcystus yelled, opening the cannon again and letting loose with a solid beam of air; Lloyd barley managed to counter the strike with a Guardian spell.

Grimacing, both of them charged once again while the Exubla rotated in confusion between the two and the three before it. Finally, it spun around and raised one hand for a blow, its target landing right where it needed to be as he dodged away from another one of Forcystus' blows. Genis and Colette looked at the scene in horror and gasped loudly.

"LLOYD!!" They both yelled, and he looked up just as the arm began to descend. Memories of the night fourteen years ago began to play, and Lloyd almost swore he saw rain falling and saw his father's sword go through the Exubla that had spoken in his mother's voice.

Forcystus saw the horror in Lloyd's face, and stopped his next assault; there would be no need to attack him if the Exubla's blow landed.

Lloyd's body screamed at him to flee, but only one word escaped his mouth;

"Mama!"

The next thing anyone saw, there was only a blur of sliver and red as Lloyd struck out, one blade severing the Exubla's arm while the other was driven home into the beast's heart. The sword that had severed the arm was thrown from Lloyd's arm, and embedded itself into Forcystus' upper thigh.

The Grand Cardinal hollered in pain as the blade was retracted from his flesh; Lloyd stood over him. "Coward." Lloyd hissed again, eyes colder than ice. Turning, he walked over the fallen Exubla and stepped towards the Chosen and her friends while Forcystus slowly staggered upright; the sword had gone straight through his leg to appear an inch and a half out the other side.

"Fool." Forcystus hissed, preparing to fire a blast when, with the last of its strength none the less, the Exubla dropped its weight across his person and the cannon just as the shot was fired. Everyone turned at the sound of the explosion; the Exubla had evaporated, but the backlash from the explosion had sent Forcystus flying. The rest of the Desians ran to their leader while an Exsphere—perfect and undamaged—rolled to a stop before Genis. The half-elf bent and picked it up as Forcystus cried out one last time before he was helped back to his ranch.

"As long as you have that Exsphere, Lloyd Aurion, we will never stop hunting you!!"Lloyd swore mentally; there was his last name. Yuan and Leila couldn't harass him about it too much though since it wasn't his intention for it to get out. Looking around, he winced as the fires around the place were put out and the rest of the survivors looked at them in shock. Lloyd sighed and looked at the other three. "Chosen, I'm sorry, but I'm going to wait for you outside of the village; that brought back some bad experiences …" Before anyone could respond, he had walked out of the place, but only Raine seemed to know why.

"Of course; why else would he say 'Mama' in the middle of a battle like he had?" She muttered to herself, watching Lloyd leave with curious eyes. 'And Forcystus called him 'Lloyd Aurion' … where have I heard 'Aurion' before!?' she thought, mind scrambling; the teen grew more and more enigmatic by the moment.

"Maybe because he was frightened?" Colette offered, eyes following Lloyd in concern.

"I think there are monsters that wouldn't frighten Lloyd." Genis commented, holding the Exsphere in one hand, tears gathering in his eyes; he wouldn't cry openly for Marble, but he did mourn her passing. It was more important to see that Colette and Raine began their journey safely.

Almost as if reading his thoughts, Raine turned to look at him. "You are right; perhaps that is why he said it brought back "bad experiences". But for right now, we must get a Key Crest on this, and you are coming with us; I don't want to risk another attack like that happening while we're gone." If Genis had possessed the energy, he would've leapt for joy. Instead he nodded and followed Raine and Colette towards Dirk's house.

―鳳―

Lloyd sat in the ground, sighing and looking at his hands in disgust. Long ago, he had told himself that he would never take the life of someone who had been consumed by the Exsphere they had been growing. It was all because of the memories he had of watching his father's torment at having to kill his mother while she was in such a form. Now he had broken that word, and Lloyd felt guilty; even if he hadn't known the victim personally, it still made him agitated to take an innocent life like that.

'Father … Mother … I'm sorry.' Lloyd sighed, a hand covering the Exsphere on his left hand; 'When this is all over, I promise that I will release you both from the living death of the Exspheres …' He sighed again, pondering when he would get a chance to do such a thing; he would need the Exsphere to battle Cruxis, and he just couldn't bring himself to approach the place where his parents were buried.

There was too much pain there, and the nightmare of the four armed monster grasping their dead bodies had been horrible enough.

He didn't want to see where they laid, cold and six feet beneath the life giving earth.

―鳳―

The other three had reached the home where the dwarf, Dirk , lived, and Genis and Raine were inside talking to him and getting an Exsphere. Colette had chosen to remain outside, praying in front of the plain graves that stood a short distance away from the dwarf's home. Although there were no names on either of the crosses that marked the graves, the one on the right had what Colette assumed was a sapphire embedded in the middle of it.

According to Dirk, the people buried there had been buried by someone else, and that he had placed the crosses there after they had left. "Oh Goddess Martel, please let these souls pass safely into your care." Colette whispered, wondering who it could have been.

_I am sorry, Martel …_ The responding voice was male and soft, not to mention unexpected. Colette's eyes widened and she looked around for the speaker, only for her eyes to find the source behind both of the crosses, looking towards the west. He wore a skin tight, violet outfit with a empty sword scabbard strapped to his side; a swallow tail cape hung from his shoulders.

Colette stared at the man that stood behind the graves; his gaze locked on the Tower of Salvation—at least she assumed that was what he was looking at, as his back was turned. _So it has begun again …_ The person sighed as they looked down, shaking their head. The mane of auburn hair that covered his head brushed his shoulders, and his soft sigh of a voice—incredibly soft, Colette realized—spoke again; _Will this darkness never fade away?_

"What darkness?" Colette asked, startling the man into turning and looking at her. Colette's eyes widened as she realized that the man was wavering and translucent, almost mist, and that there was a gaping wound directly above his heart where a sword seemed to have been thrust into him; the front of his outfit seemed to be bloodstained. Wine colored eyes—the same eyes as he bodyguard, now that Colette thought about it—widened fractionally at the sight of the blond, but only a sigh passed through the air.

_All that is to come, and all that has transpired in the past. For all of the sins that permeate this place, and the entire world._ His mouth didn't move when he spoke, and Colette suddenly noticed that the glow around this person's form; it was a deep sapphire, almost like the sapphire embedded into that one cross … The blond squeaked; this man was a ghost!! Forcing herself to remain looking at the ghost, he continued, _… The boy with you … watch him …_

"Huh? Why should I watch Lloyd?" Colette asked, stepping forward. The ghost was about to respond when he suddenly stiffened and doubled over in pain, one hand going to what appeared to be the death wound.

_The darkness, its coming closer … please, guard the Phoenix … _With the statement, the ghost faded into nothingness, only a pale sapphire glow remaining. _Please … guard him …_

"Excuse me sir, but who ar—oomph!!" Colette called as she stepped even closer to the ghost's previous location, landing face down in the dirt. Her exclamation drew everyone else out of Dirk's house, and the dwarf was looking at the Chosen in concern.

"Who were ya talkin too, lass?" He asked Colette as she straightened and turned around. She looked behind her one last time, and shook her head lightly.

"Someone was there … but then he acted like he was hurt, and then vanished." Colette admitted, sighing and clasping her hands before her. "But then again, he only appeared when I was praying for the people buried here …" Dirk's eyebrows shot up rapidly, and he walked towards her.

"So the spirit talked to ye, it seems. I've seen him only twice, but even then I never spoke wi' him. I didn' think he could even hear me." The dwarf spoke with a sigh, looking at the sapphire embedded in the cross. "Evah since that Exsphere was placed in dat cross—the man who did it said it belong to te' man buried here—he's been seen many times in da forest."

"That's an Exspere?!" The other three exclaimed, looking at the sapphire stone in horror and disgust. Raine recovered first. "It seems Lloyd was right about the Exspheres, but I don't know how he knew …"

"Oh, Lloyd!! Professor, we should be going now!!" Colette squeaked, looking at her teacher and her friend with wide eyes. Thanking dirk quickly, the three ran through the forest, Raine's eyes darting around in case the ghost that Colette had been talking to showed again; no luck there.

Lloyd was sitting in the grass, gaze distant when the others arrived. "Oh, are we set now?" He asked, looking at them as he stood. He seemed to have recovered by the way he smiled solemnly at them. When they had all nodded in agreement, he grinned and spun towards the open road. "Then let's go!! To Triet !!"

_

* * *

_

And so it ends. XD Just because I killed Kratos off doesn't mean I didn't plan on having him NOT show up!! XD He's going to be appearing again, but not for a while.

_(Random thing) Songs listened to while typing this (music screws with my head, so this might be why my writing's a bit unusual)  
_"Final Destination"—Within Temptation  
"Liberty shield"—Immediate Music  
"Into the west"—Annie Lennox  
"In Perfect Harmony"—Within Temptation  
"Truth beneath the rose"—Within Temptation  
"Hand of Sorrow"—Within Temptation

_Review please!!_


	9. Into the Desert

_Well, I really needed to get this out of my head … -.-''' Lloydie and Sheena will "meet", but not in the typical sense … ).) And here we go!! I'm going to get us hopefully to the rousing of Efreet!! Let's go!! I ownz nothing familiar!!_

"**Dragonic"**

**9. Into the Desert**

* * *

The first day of traveling was slow and tiresome, but that was mostly attributed to the fact that the three from Iselia were all worn and depressed over fighting the Exubla, and Lloyd was simply lost in his own thoughts. Dusk fell before they were near enough to the House of Salvation to use its beds, so they had to camp.

After eating a meal that Genis had prepared, the group all settled around as Lloyd examined the Exsphere. "I learned a lot about Exspheres throughout my life; it comes with wandering around as a mercenary." Lloyd commented, eyes distant as he examined the red stone. "Even so, it gets me so upset to see what happens to those that live in the ranches. The only thing that keeps me from going into the afterlife over it all is this voice in the back of my head telling me to keep going, even if it is only for my parents." Digging into his pocket, Lloyd drew out something on a chain.

"Could you come over here, Genis?" He asked after a moment, settling the Exsphere into the Key Crest—the one they had gotten from Dirk; Lloyd had put it on a chain shortly before dinner was ready. "Unless you put a Key Crest in between an Exsphere and your skin, you'll turn into one of those monsters." Genis, who had been quiet throughout the entire trip, nodded and walked over to where Lloyd sat.

While the teen was busy fixing the Key Crest and Exsphere onto Genis' hand, Raine decided to speak up. "You … lost your parents to Desians, Lloyd?" The teen nodded, a flicker of pain shooting through his eyes.

"… My Mom … she was in one of the Human Ranches for a few years …" Lloyd sighed, although he hadn't been asked for a explanation. "Then my Dad broke her out of there, and they were on the run for a while. I was only three when the Desians caught up with us …"

"I'm sorry for you loss …" Colette told him, eyes watering over. "If … I promise to succeed in my journey, and then there won't be any more victims like your mother and father!!" She had enough sincerity nearly convince the Renegade, who smiled sincerely enough to convince skeptical Raine that he was no harm.

"I thank you for your kindness, Chosen." Lloyd whispered, but mentally he cursed his misfortune; this was going to be a tougher assignment than he thought, and that was simply because the Chosen was so … so damn caring and innocent!!

As the stars appeared overhead in the graying sky, Lloyd smiled and looked upwards; the love for the heavens that he'd been introduced to by his father remained strong. "Such beauty …" leaning back on his arms, he traced the stars and watched as the occasional falling one streaked across the sky. Unbeknownst to him, words that danced in his memory came to the forefront; until they found a way out through his voice, that is.

"_And Dawn will turn to silver glass …"_ He sighed as the song danced in his mind; he remembered it so well from when Anna had sung it to him so often. _"The light on the water … Grey ships pass … Into the west …"_

"You've got a nice voice Lloyd!" Colette's chirrup of approval startled the mercenary into falling onto his back from shock; he didn't think he was singing THAT loud!! Sitting up, he looked around at the others; Colette seemed to be staring at him in admiration, while Genis was stunned. Raine looked interested, nothing more.

"Heh … If you say so …" Lloyd scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "The only reason I know that one is because Mom used to sing it to me all the time …"

"Is it that short?" Genis asked, now that he was interested. Lloyd shook his head with a slightly embarrassed look.

"No … that's only the last bit … I know the entire thing by heart …" Before the brunet could react, both Genis and Colette were giving him large puppy eyes, and Leila was rolling around in the wingpack from hysterical laughter, which reverberated in Lloyd's head.

"**You shouldn't have said that, hatchling!! Now you're going to have to sing it before they pester you to death over it!!"** The dragon roared, voice highly amused; Lloyd decided that he would have to do something rather cruel and unusual to Leila for taunting him when she spoke again. **"Come on, Lloyd; I haven't heard you sing in AGES!! And you've got a decent voice as well; use it!!"**

"Please Mr. Lloyd??" The two younger children begged; apparently they had been doing so while Lloyd and Leila were talking. Well, while Leila talked and Lloyd listened. Raine looked about ready to call them off, but there was a curious look in her eyes. Lloyd sighed in defeat.

"Alright, alright …" He sighed, which resulted in cheers from Leila, Colette, and Genis, and only a nod of acceptance from Raine. Shifting position only slightly, Lloyd searched his memory; how did it start again?! Ah, now he remembered; drawing a deep breath, Lloyd closed his eyes.

"_Lay down, your sweet and weary head,_

_Night is falling …_

_You have come to journey's end._

_Sleep now,_

_And dream of the ones who came before …_

_They are calling …_

_From across the distant shore …"_

Colette and Genis were spellbound, and even Raine had stopped what her hands were doing to listen. Leila hummed along from within the wingpack, remembering the days when Lloyd would sing this song when he had nothing better to do.

Lloyd's eyes opened partially, and their wine colored irises were swirling as if he was about to cry; they were dry, for he couldn't even produce tears anymore. If he could though, he would've started as he sung.

"_Why do you weep?_

_What are these tears upon your face?_

_Soon you will see_

_All of your fears will pass away_

_Safe in my arms, _

_You're only sleeping._

"_What can you see?_

_On that horizon_

_Why do the white gulls call?_

_Across the seas …_

_On that horizon_

_The ships have come to carry you home_

"_Dawn will turn to silver glass_

_The light on the water …_

_All souls pass …"_

Colette felt herself starting to nod off; she didn't know if it was because of who was singing, or if it was the song itself, but she was tired. Lloyd's voice was soothing to listen to, and she was worn from the events of the day. Genis was nearly asleep as well, with only his stubbornness keeping him awake as Lloyd continued. Raine was listening, and she—unlike the children—understood the meaning of the song; she was fighting the tears in her eyes from falling.

Leila continued humming, and in Lloyd's mind, her voice joined in on the song; her voice was even deeper when she sang, and she had a slight burr; that was because she was a dragon, nothing more. Still, it encouraged Lloyd to keep going on until the song was finished, voice never faltering.

"_Hope fades into the world of night_

_Through shadows falling_

_Out of memory and time …_

"_Don't say we have come now to the end_

_White shores are calling …_

_You and I will meet again._

_And you'll be here in my arms, just sleeping …_

"_What can you see?_

_On that horizon_

_Why do the white gulls call?_

_Across the seas …_

_On that horizon_

_The ships have come to carry you home._

"_And dawn will turn to silver glass_

_The light on the water …_

_Grey ships pass into the west …"_

Finished, Lloyd looked at the others, completely embarrassed; Colette was staring at him with wide eyes that were filled to the brim with tears; she had gotten the meaning near the end of the song. Raine had a handkerchief to her eyes, dabbing away the tears that had gotten past her self control. Genis only starred at him, mouth gaping; all three of them had lost their drowsiness near the end, lost in sheer amazement.

"That was … hauntingly beautiful." Raine spoke after a moment, struggling to keep her voice even. Lloyd bushed faintly and looked at his lap, unable to respond. "I can't imagine what it sounded like when your mother sang; she must've had a beautiful voice if it sounds like it did coming from you."

"Yeah …" Lloyd looked up with a smile. "Dad used to say that it felt like there was an angel singing whenever she had a song stuck in her head; my uncle says the same thing."

"Your uncle??" Genis asked, curious. "You never mentioned an uncle before."

"He's the one who's been taking care of me since I lost my parents; he's a half-elf, and I can't thank him enough for looking after me without being asked …" Lloyd looked aside, knowing that if Yuan had heard him being so soft about the cobalt half-elf, he'd pitch a fit; it was Yuan's way of showing he cared about Lloyd too, as odd as it was.

Genis and Raine looked at Lloyd, then at each other; a half-elf had taken care of Lloyd?? Pushing aside their shock, the two half-elves watched as Lloyd stood, one hand on his left sword hilt. "I'll take first watch; anybody against that?"

"No … wake me at midnight; and I will take over." Raine told the teen, who she studied carefully for a few moments as he walked off to stand a good distance away, watching for anyone that might attack the group. Once she was certain that the younger children were asleep, she pulled out a small notebook and used the flames from the fire to write in the notebook.

_Subject log #1_

_Beginning this entry on the mysterious young mercenary named—from what I have unintentionally gathered—Lloyd Aurion._

_Age: 17 ½ _

_Height: anywhere from 5'11" to 6'1"—haven't gotten a chance to study his height within closer boundaries_

_Hair color: a deep, chocolate brown, with a hint of auburn._

_Eye color: an unusual wine red; perhaps he has some genetic illness that makes them that color, but I cannot be certain._

_The subject arrived yesterday afternoon around 12:30, by my calculations, within the Temple of Mana. He claimed to have been hired by Phaidra to guard Colette on her Journey of World Regeneration; this was later confirmed by Phaidra herself. Subject shows good skills in the art of swordplay and in keeping his head in a battle, despite his youth. When asked about his parents, he reacted strongly; it was recently brought to my attention that he lost his parents to a Desian attack when he was exceptionally young. Subject shows to know a limited amount of the Dwarven Arts, and knows much about these "Exspheres". He is touchy about the subject, however, and he doesn't speak about it often. He is well built, and is apparently ambidextrous due to the fact that he wields a single edged blade in each of his hands. Colette is attracted to him, much to my dismay; he feels like trouble waiting to happen._

_On another note, the subject has revealed himself to have a beautiful voice, if he is pressured into using it. He also has stated that his caretaker after the loss of his parents is a half-elf. He calls the man his uncle, so perhaps one of his parents—most likely his father, seeing as how his mother was a prisoner at a human ranch for an undetermined amount of time—was a half-elf as well._

_The subject's mysterious golden object hasn't been seen since it somehow stopped his rant yesterday afternoon concerning his parents. This is frustrating, as it might very well be a new species of animal of some kind!! _

_But, all in all, so far everything about this "Lloyd Aurion" is a mystery. When I asked Genis about the color of his mana signature earlier today, he said that it was crimson with flecks that danced like fire which changed color all the time; even this is a mysterious phenomenon, for neither of us could tell what his main element (or elements, as the case may be) was._

_I will write more when something useful is unearthed._

With that, Raine put the book away until she was to write in it again; with all of the shadows and enigmatic mysteries building up around Lloyd, it would be best to keep a log of what all she had learned about him until things could be fully explained.

* * *

Within the next eighteen hours, the group had arrived at Triet, dirty, sweaty, and ready to crash. However, in front of the village stood a group of Renegades; Lloyd felt his gut twist in two. The woman leading the charge was Aries, a commander who he got along well with, despite her atrocious hair color. He'd have to kill her, simply because she was in between his group and the Chosen's.

Almost as if Aries had heard him, the neon orange haired half-elf turned around and spotted the group as they approached. "Well lookie here, boys. It's the Chosen of Mana!!" She bellowed, her loud shout of a laugh easily audible. Lloyd hissed to himself as her small group of men all turned to look at the four. Aries smirked. "And whaddya know; the Phoenix of Luin is here as well!! This will be a good day for the Desians, now won't it?!"

'The Phoenix of Luin?' Raine asked in her mind, eyes widening as she stared at Lloyd. Aries noticed the glance. Nobody noticed the shocked look on Colette's face, but the Chosen seemed shocked about something.

"Ya didn't know??" Aries looked between Lloyd and Raine. "That boy's wanted by the Eastern Human Ranches for being in possession of the Angelus Project!! He's a master at fire spells, enough to rival Lord Magnius!!" Lloyd felt his jaw clench; Aries didn't know when to shut up, did she? Scowling to himself, he positioned himself so that his actions were out of sight, but he was still protecting Colette from the assault.

'To hell with sticking to the basics; Aries just blew my skills with fire spells to heck and back.' Lloyd sighed in his mind, 'sorry Uncle Yuan, but part of my cover is toast.' Eyes snapping open, he pointed at Aries with a blade. "Flame Lance!!"

The burning spear flew through the air at unexpected speeds, slamming into the ground in the middle of the group. Without a second passing between contact and combustion, golden orange flames shot through with crimson exploded outward, cooking all of the attacking Renegades save for Aries and her lieutenant.

"**Nice … I don't think they counted on you doing that!!"** Leila roared approvingly in Lloyd's mind, and the angel could hear the smug tone in her voice. He scowled and drew his blade.

'**Yeah, but now we're going to have to kill her.' "Damn it." **Lloyd growled under his breath, letting the blade's razor sharp edge sing as he brought it up to point it at Aries. "So it seems we have to fight these Desians to get into the village, Chosen." Lloyd told Colette, eyes locked on Aries, daring the Renegade to say something stupid.

Aries kept her mouth shut, but the man who was with her shook his head in terror. "N-no way!! I don't care what Lord Guǐ gets angry with me, I refuse to fight someone like the Phoenix of Luin!" before Aries could stop the man, he had run off. Lloyd smirked; this was one of the spies from the Luin ranch, so it made sense for him to mention the grand cardinal of the Luin ranch.

"You're not leaving here alive!" He yelled, and threw the blade again. It struck the Desian in the back by the spine, killing him instantly. Jerking on the mana string that connected his blade to him, Lloyd brought it back and smirked at Aries; the renegade scowled.

"So I'm going to have to take you down myself, eh?! Well then, in the name of Lord Guǐ, I will kill the Phoenix of Luin with fire!!" She laughed, and drew her dual ended scythe from where she carried it on her back.

(A/N: Begin boss fight music!! What? I'm hyper today…)

Colette drew her chakrams, and Genis pulled out his kendama whilst Lloyd drew out his second blade, the sharp metal seeming to cut the air. Raine hesitated, but after a moment, grasped her staff tighter in her hands and rushed forward to be of some aid. Aries chuckled as the group raced towards her, and she advanced, swinging her scythe in front of her.

"Demon Fang!" She cried, bringing the lethally sharp weapon down upon Colette, who tripped and dodged.

"Aqua edge!!" Genis cried out, shooting the water spell out at the "Desian". Aries wasn't able to dodge in time, and the razor sharp blades of water gouged her legs. Growling, she turned around and began to rush the small mage when Lloyd intervened, his twin blades blocking her scythe with ease. Aries hissed and began to press down on the tangled metal, using her weight and mass to attempt and push Lloyd away.

"So you really are as light as they say!" She hollered as Lloyd actually inched backwards a few feet. The brunet smirked and darted away, resulting in Aries pitching face first into the sand.

"I'm not light," Lloyd responded as the Renegade got back onto her feet. "I'm just light on my feet." Spinning one blade over his hand, Lloyd rushed in to stab Aries when the woman's scythe came right towards his neck. 'Oh shit,' Lloyd felt a flicker of panic overtake him.

Colette, noticing the danger, flung one of her chakrams at the poled weapon, the words of the ghost sending shivers down her spine.

"_Protect the Phoenix …"_ now more than ever, Colette wondered why that man's ghost wanted Lloyd safe. But as of right now, keeping Lloyd alive was vital if she wanted to get to the first seal, even. Thankfully, her chakram managed to force Aries' arm to the side, due to the unexpected force whamming into one side; Lloyd escaped with only a small cut on his cheek, aiming for his eye.

Ignoring the warm blood running down his one cheek, Lloyd stood and swung at Aries in a rage, cutting her hand with its Exsphere from the rest of her body; to his shock, she began to take on a more monstrous form. "Damn! One of the runes on her Exsphere must've been partially destroyed! Guess I have to do this the painful way!" He yelled, leaping back before allowing his left handed blade to be engulfed in rainbow hued flames.

"Be judged, and may your soul fear only what is wrong!!" Lloyd began to charge forward, brining the burning sword forward so to pierce Aries' chest. "Phoenix's Tears!" With a loud explosion, the sword cut clean through the Renegade's armor and flesh, and the flames burned the wound so no blood fell.

When the dead body fell to the earth, Lloyd withdrew the blade and looked at the others. Raine and Genis both looked downright stunned, while Colette looked contemplative, oddly enough. Deciding that anything he said to allege their fears would be pointless, Lloyd walked forward and picked up the Key Crest that he had removed from Aries. Examining it, he sighed heavily, "not just destroyed, it was the wrong charm to begin with." Looking at Raine, he nodded silently, "as soon as we get checked into our rooms at the inn here, I can carve the right charm, Miss Raine. Seeing as how you are the only one of us without an Exsphere, it seems only right that this go to you."

"What about Colette?" Genis asked in shock, looking at the blond. "She doesn't have one either!!"

"The Chosen is blessed by Cruxis; that alone will prove beneficial in the long run." Lloyd replied evenly, before sighed wearily. "Can we just hurry on into town right now?? I would like to get this done, and bed sounds wonderful right now." Lloyd's words reminded the others that they had been on the move for a long time, and they all nodded and walked into Triet. Thankfully, the inn was right inside the village, so the four got into the rooms and settled themselves; Lloyd and Genis shared the downstairs room, while the girls had one of the two upstairs; Lloyd didn't see which, because he had headed into the room he and Genis would be sharing as soon as he could. He needed to finish the Key Crest for Raine, and he did plan on at least meditating; Origin might like to hear what's going on.

--

Up in the girl's room, Colette and Raine were at opposite ends of the room, working on different things; Raine was working half the time on a documentary of all the monsters they had seen so far alongside writing in what Colette thought was her journal. Colette herself stood by the window, elbows propped up on the sill as she reflected on the ghost's haunting words as the sun set in the distance.

_"This darkness ... it's getting stronger ..."_

_"Please ... protect the Phoenix ..."_

'But who was that man?' Colette found herself sighing mentally, eyes half closed from wonder. 'Did he know that Lloyd was the "Phoenix of Luin", like that Desian called him, or was it something more?' She shook her head. 'Regardless, I must not let myself get ... distracted. I have to save everyone, although ... it would be nice, settling down and raising a family ... I wonder what that's like?' Sighing heavily, Colette allowed her mind to drift over to the mental images of Lloyd that she had recorded mentally throughout the scant two days that they had been in one another's company. There were so few of him openly smiling, but the ones where he did, he seemed more sad than happy, as if something heavy weighed down his heart. Colette wondered that when Lloyd truly smiled, would she feel the same giddiness that she did when other girls spoke about the boys then dreamed after?

On the other hand, Raine had finished her journal entry, and was taking a break from writing in the monster manual; in short, she was writing up another report up on Lloyd (A/N: Geeze, she's like some freakish stalker of something O.O'')

_Subject Log #2_

_Barely a day has passed since I last wrote in here, but so much has come into play ... I am now nearly seventy five percent certain that Lloyd is a half-elf. He displayed a masterful use of fire spells in a battle against the Desians that we encountered earlier today, and his swords seem to be enchanted. He revealed a spell that I have never seen nor heard of before--I shall describe it in detail down below. Not only that, but his skill with the Dwarven arts are even more impressive than I thought previously._

_Not only that, but the Desians that we encountered called Lloyd the "Phoenix of Luin", and one of them fled from the battle rather than openly face him; Lloyd killed him regardless of that. The leader also mentioned something called the "Angelus Project", but I am almost afraid to ask Lloyd what this "Angelus Project" is; I do not want to end up burning to death from invoking his wrath._

_Ah yes, that unique spell he used; I also assumed this is where he earned the title "Phoenix of Luin". It is called "Phoenix's Tears"; rainbow colored flames cover his left handed blade (The hand that also contains his oddly colored Exsphere--perhaps this is the "Angelus Project" that they were speaking of, but I digress.), and possibly can coat his other blade if he so chooses. The attack seems to be fatal, for when I stopped briefly and examined the Desian's corpse, it seemed like the blood had been burned out of her very veins; perhaps he pierced her heart so the blow would kill her even faster than the spell, or maybe that is the only way the attack works. Either way, the only way I will know for certain is if I am on the wrong end of that spell, in which case I will be on my way to the afterlife, and unable to tell any other scientist or such ilk._

_And to close this--and as I have neglected to mention this before--Lloyd appears to be ambidextrous, for he wields a weapon in both hand, and can write something with his left hand while do something else of equal difficulty with his right. This is both a blessing and a curse, for it will give him an advantage that the rest of us do not have. But it might also be one of those instances where the right hand does not know what the left hand does; one hand might help us, while the other cut us into ribbons._

_Enough. I have written all that I have discovered, and I need to finish the monster manual. I will write more when it is necessary__._ Closing the book with a snap, Raine stuffed it into a secret part of her bag, and began to work on the rest of the monsters. Colette's head turned slightly at the sound, but didn't comment.

--

A few hours had passed, and the stars were winking into existence when Lloyd finished the Key Crest and began to walk up the stairs when he stopped. **'Uhhh ... Leila?'** He mentally asked the dragonet, who was hiding beneath his bed. (Genis was already abed) Leila's mental noise of curiosity propelled Lloyd to continue, **'... Which room are the girls in again?'**

The response--when it came--was Leila's roar of mental laughter; the dragonet projected a mental image of herself rolling on the floor beneath his bed, mouth open in silent laughter. **"You're so helpless hatchling!! Not bothering to see which room the Viiasha and the Seraphi went into!! And then asking **_**ME**_**, who was in that wingpack of yours the entire time, which room they are in when I haven't a clue more than you do!!" **Lloyd bit back the flush of embarrassment that came with Leila's mental tirade of laughter.

**'I'm sorry, Leila-Glaedrsrai,'** He responded, using Leila's usually reverent position as a golden dragon against her as he headed for the room farthest from the staircase, **'But unlike you, who slept the entire way until the fight with Aries, I have been walking through sand and wind an--'** Lloyd cut himself off as he silently opened the door, immediately spying who lay in the bed from the doorway. Not only was he in the wrong room, but that the person in the bed was female, and hauntingly familiar ... Stepping soundlessly into the room, Lloyd looked down at the young woman with wide eyes as he spied an all too familiar necklace around her neck.

**"Hatchling? Is something wrong?"** Leila actually sounded concerned for once, and Lloyd simply showed her the scene before her; Leila was silent for moments afterward. **"By Saphira's Scales, what is your ladylove Sheena doing **_**here**_**?"** Normally, Lloyd would objected to Leila referring to Sheena as his "ladylove', "girlfriend", or other such thing, but for once he couldn't really speak; he was still trying to get his mind around Sheena's presence in the first place.

Kneeling beside her bed, Lloyd reached out and brushed some of her hair out of her face. Sheena's face briefly scrunched up, and she mumbled, "Lloyd ..." The angel froze out of instinct and concern; had he woken her? When Sheena didn't make any further sign that she was awake, Lloyd allowed his silent sigh of relief to leave him. He choked on it when her sleepy voice continued, "... I miss you, Lloyd ... did you go back up to your parents?" Obviously oblivious to the addressed's presence in her room, the kunoichi began to hold her pillow in a choke hold, quiet tears falling from behind closed lids. "Is ... is that why you didn't see me again? Is that what Yuan meant by you ... you being 'Out'? Did he want ... want to tell me later, when the job was done? That you were ... no, please no, Lloyd ... Lloyd, please ... I want to see you again ... Please, _koi ..._ please ..."

Lloyd found himself utterly floored; literally. He had fallen backwards about as silently as he could when Sheena started to embrace the pillow, sobbing and calling for him. Yuan had asked her to do something over on Sylvarant?! And he had told her that he was out?! torn between vowing to throttle Yuan when he saw him in person next and thanking the cobalt endlessly for not letting Sheena know his real job, Lloyd simply sent a tangled web of confused thoughts to Leila. **'Sheena's here!! She ... she's acting like I'm dead!! Why would she think that? What is the job that Yuan is having her do? What does **_**koi**_** mean; she never taught me that word. And why ... why the hell am I lying on her inn room floor asking you pointless questions instead of trying to get it across to her that I'm alive and well!?'**

**"Because you're a numbskull sometimes, which is part of your charm." **Leila retorted mentally, making Lloyd wince at the dragonet's frank tongue. **"And the only way I can think of you helping Sheena is to talk to her in her sleep."**

**'Eh?'**

**"Dreamers might not consciously hear what you're saying, but their subconscious psyche can pick up your words and relay them in some fashion during the dreamer's dreams. Don't ask me how it works; if I knew, I think I'd earn the rank of Summon Spirit."** With that, Leila cut off the mental connection, leaving Lloyd to fend for himself. Mentally cursing dragons who offered vague help and spoke in riddles, he stood up and leaned in close to Sheena again; time to see if Leila's advice worked.

"Sheena ..." he whispered, feeling slightly silly. When she only stiffened, Lloyd blew gently against her ear and whispered slightly louder, "Sheena ..."

"Lloyd? ... Lloyd, where are you?" In Sheena's mind, the summoner found herself lost and alone in Volt's temple, about to watch her friend--who still appeared thirteen--be struck down by an enraged Volt. Just before the lethal blow had been struck, however, a warm red glow had surrounded her, banishing the vision. From within its depths, Sheena heard Lloyd's voice say her name.

"Yeah, it's me, Sheena." Back in reality, Lloyd found himself mentally smiling over being able to talk with Sheena; he'd been away from her for too long, he thought solemnly. "I'm alive, and about as well as I'll ever be; Leila's still as verbally abusive as ever, but I think she might be getting tired of pillows being thrown in her face." Lloyd could almost see Sheena smile and giggle at that, and he smiled physically as well and chuckled. Growing reasonably serious again, he continued, "I have something really important that I have to do right now, okay? I promise, I'll see you as soon as I can."

"But where? Where are you, Lloyd?" Sheena's dream was beginning to disperse, but the red glow that spoke in Lloyd's voice was still there, still warm. Her mind briefly registered Lloyd's tone of hesitation as he spoke again.

"I ... I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Rest well, Sheena; I'll be with you as soon as I can." Lloyd decided that he had said enough, and began to stand when a thought came over him. Not knowing what on earth possessed him--or if he'd wanted to do it for a while, but never had the courage--Lloyd leaned in closer and planted a light kiss to Sheena's mouth, brief and feather soft. "Promise me that you won't get yourself killed, and I won't go and die either, alright? Sleep while you can, and we'll meet again. I promise; _Ki tsune."_ Straightening, Lloyd watched Sheena as she slowly relaxed, and he almost saw a smile come up over her face. Sighing mentally when he saw that she would sleep with ease now, Lloyd turned out the door and shut it wordlessly behind him; he'd lingered long enough, and Raine still needed her Exsphere.

--

_Okay, so I didn't get to the Seal of Fire. -sweatdrops- But at least I got to the scene where Lloyd and Sheena "met"!! The actual, conscious meeting will be in one to two chapters, depending on how long I write the scene at the Seal of Fire. _

_Oh, and I just got my copy of "Brisinger", so any references to like, Glaedr, Saphira, and other such things, that's what I'm mentioning. Just thought I'd clear that up before I confused anyone._

_Review, please!!_


	10. Hints of Destiny

_Lloyd!!!  
__**Lloyd:**__ What now!?  
__You get to go break the seal!!!  
__**Lloyd:**__ And ...?  
__-shrugs- Oh, nothing. Just thought you'd like to know that you get to beat the shit out of somebody this chapter.  
__**Lloyd:**__ Who??  
__**???:**__ ME!!!  
__**Lloyd:**__ Who're you!?  
He's the Guardian of Fire. –to audience- apart from the Guardian, I only own Leila!!_

**10. Hints of destiny ...**

―鳳―

The next morning dawned brightly, but if one were to look around for Lloyd, they would find him not in the village, nor even near the seal of fire, but rather on a mountain top near the ocean, his gaze watching the rising sun with troubled eyes. He didn't know what it was that unsettled him so, but something was stirring within him that felt foreign and familiar at the same time. Whatever it was only seemed to come to life beneath the light of the rising sun, a strong mana nearly as old as the Seals surged into life, tugging at him to come and find it, to lose himself in whatever it was that was calling for him.

Standing beside him, and the size that any respectable member of her species should be at her age, was Leila, her violet eyes equally troubled. In the blood colored wash of light that accompanied the rising sun, her golden scales were dyed a glorious shade of molten copper that looked almost alive, the color writhing and dancing like flames across her surface, ready to be expelled from her body at a second's notice. One immense wing was extended up and over Lloyd, a velvety awning above his head.

She was worried for a different reason than he was, but in a sense, one could say that they were still related. **'The world is holding its breath, or whatever is left of it. I don't think that a simple sacrifice of a Chosen one would be enough to save it now.' **Leila told herself, biting back a sigh that would have caught Lloyd's attention. **'And if this one dies, the shock will be felt through both of the worlds … and the barrier that Ereshkigal mentioned to me SHALL break.'** Leila scowled as she remembered the conversation that she had had with the death spirit. However, now was not the time to mention such a thing, because of the time. **"Hatchling, you should head back to the Chosen and her group, so they don't wonder what you are doing at this sort of time. I'll go ahead and report to Yuan for you."** Lloyd looked at the golden dragon with a faint smile.

"**Thanks, Leila. Be sure to express my irritation for him about hiring Sheena for this job."** He replied, already plotting the many ways he would express his exact feelings with the aforementioned cobalt. Unknown to the two, Yuan had looked up from the paperwork he was working on, shuddered out of fear for seemingly no reason, and then had gone to make certain that the alarms still worked, unable to shake the sense of doom clinging to him.

Leila grinned, revealing sharp teeth. **"You just want to **_**hug**_** her, **_**kiss **_**her**_**, **_**do the horizontal**_**—  
**_

"**LEILA!!!"** Lloyd yelled at the dragon, face going as red as was humanly possible. While he had entertained such dirty thoughts—it was part of being a teenager, after all—he knew better than to suggest such a thing to Sheena. Worst case scenario, she would think he was turning into Zelos and castrate him. Best case scenario, she would use him as a training dummy. Either way, it was not something he wanted to even suggest until they were in a more serious relationship, or engaged for that matter.

Leila seemed to know that she would only get herself into trouble if she continued her previous taunting, and simply grinned wolfishly, showing pearly white teeth. **"Alright, alright, I'm going." **Turning, she finished, **"I'll see you at nighttime then; will you be at the Seal of Fire?"**

"**Most likely; the Chosen One will have to recover from releasing the first seal."** Lloyd replied evenly, not wanting to show that he wondered what the Chosen's transformation would be like. Due to the angelic blood running thick in his veins, the transformation hadn't been too harmful to him, but from what Yuan had told him before, it was FAR different from the Chosen's transformation. **"But standing around is only going to get me in trouble; I'll see you this evening, Leila. Don't kill Yuan yet." **With that, the angel was gone, and Leila shook her head in amusement.

**'He's acting more and more like Old Blue every day. ...But I wonder, what will happen when everything that's going to happen comes into play. Will he be able to handle his destiny on his own, or will he pass away? ...' **Leila shook her head as she flew off, mentally scolding herself for being so silly. **'Heh, like I would let that happen; even on his own, that kid's got enough stubbornness to live through anything, and it would take a lot more than the usual line of terror to kill him off. Even Yggi the Gaywad would have a problem killing him off.'** Even though she had reassured herself about the subject, Leila still sighed and looked over her shoulder at Triet. **'... Be careful, Lloyd ...'**

―鳳―

Lloyd had returned to the village and was leaning against an empty stall when the other three all came out of the inn, ready to head off for the seal. "And here I was worried that you wouldn't be up until after the sun was up in the sky." He commented drily, voice and eyes flatter than a plane. Genis glared at him, and would've made a nasty comment if Colette hadn't spoken up.

"Good morning Lloyd! Are we all set to go?" She asked, looking in the direction of the ruins. Lloyd simply straightened and began to walk out of Triet, never once looking back.

"... I'll assume that is a yes." Raine commented to the younger children as they watched Lloyd slowly walk into the desert sands. The elder half-elf sighed and grasped her staff, following him into the swirling sands with Colette following her, Genis taking up the rear. While the walk itself was uneventful, the conversation that ensued while the walk was taking place was something else entirely.

"Is it just me, or does the mana here seem more earth like than fire?" Lloyd commented offhandedly, looking at the sand beneath their feet. "Since we're near Efreet's seal, wouldn't it make more sense …"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, it does feel more like Gnome's influence is stronger around here …" Genis agreed, looking around. "but the influence is really, _really_ old; ancient, really."

"… Ancient, huh?" Lloyd muttered, looking around as he tried to feel where the mana source was coming from.

_**RELEASE …**_

"Hm??" Lloyd stopped and looked around, his eyes narrowed as something powerful seemed to emerge from beneath the sands. Colette looked at him in worry.

"Is something wrong, Lloyd?" She asked, only to see the brunet's eyes rather blank, staring off into the distance as if something had caught his attention. Panicking briefly, she grabbed his arm and shook it. "Lloyd!!"

"Eh??" He blinked, looking between the Chosen and whatever it was that had caught his attention in the first place. "It's … nothing; I apologize. If I had been distracted and someone had attacked, things might not have turned out so well. Let us continue, Chosen." Without even waiting for a response, Lloyd continued on towards the Triet ruins, either not noticing or ignoring the suspicious looks that both Raine and Genis were giving him.

The sun was reaching its zenith when they eventually reached the blackened ruins, and all of the travelers but Lloyd were sweating by the bucketful. Even though she wanted to examine the wondrous ruin before her with painful accuracy, Raine felt her energy start to slip away from her, so she decided to wait until they had a short break. Lloyd simply took up watch while the others ate; he refused food of any sort, but he did take some water while he waited for the others to hurry up.

"Aren't you hungry, Lloyd?" Raine finally asked, exasperated. "You were awake before us, and with all of the monsters and rogues we've faced, any normal human boy your age would be starved." Lloyd simply turned to her, face bland.

"… No." He said finally, and stood up. "We should hurry and release the seal before it gets any later …!!!" Seeing a rapid movement out of the corner of his eye, Lloyd spun and threw three fireballs, praying to any god that they were mistaken for a Fireball spell and not elemental manipulation. Thankfully, the attack hit the snake that was approaching, but there were two fire elementals with it, their crimson stained rock forms glowing with the light of an inferno. "There are enemies here!!"

It didn't take much to get the others going after that. Genis—being rather intelligent, Lloyd noted—didn't even attempt to use a fire spell on the elementals. Instead, the young half-elf used his Wind Blade spell while Colette started hurling the thin chakrams in her hands at it. Raine stood behind them all and used first aid when it was needed, which was rather often, because more elementals arrived after a while.

During the chaos, she stole a glance as Lloyd effortlessly took out another elemental, his blades flashing in the sunlight as part of his right sleeve was torn open by a piece of errant stone. Sun reflected off of metal as an ornate bracelet appeared beneath the tear, its crimson and gold surface reflecting the sunlight just as clearly as his swords did.

Lloyd noticed her stares, but was unable to do anything when the last of the elementals somehow managed to charge at Colette, whose back was turned. "Damn!" He swore and ran towards her, putting himself in between her and the monster. "Guardian!" with the shout, his vermilion aura flared out and formed a dome around him; the elemental slammed into it and shattered, not expecting the mana shield to form when it had. As soon as the threat was gone, the Guardian spell faded, and Lloyd straightened. "Blame your fate." He said simply, flipping one sword into the air as he sheathed the other. Turning slightly, he caught the errant blade and sheathed it as well, face completely calm.

Colette, for the record, easily passed off her shortness of breath to the battle, trying desperately to silence the voice in the back of her mind that said it was all because of how close Lloyd had been to her. And when he had leapt in front of her … no, protecting her was his job; he had no reason to do it aside from that. She blinked when she saw his face quickly grow annoyed at something.

Lloyd—not knowing that he was being stared at by almost everyone now—growled in frustration and folded his arms over his chest, quickly deciphering why the Chosen needed a bodyguard; as she was female, she had not been given extensive weapons training (a real waste in his eyes, but that was due to his experience with the warrior women of Mizuho and the Renegades), and her defensive skills were mediocre at best. "Do you not have any sort of technique to defend yourselves?" He asked curtly, eyeing all three of them with a mild glare. Not shockingly, they all shook their heads. "Ach, _jamakusai …_" He groaned, facepalming himself rather forcefully. "Looks like I'll have to teach you all those spells after all … Can't have you all dying on me."

"I do not care for your tone, Lloyd." Raine interjected, glaring at the teen with venom. "Between your annoyance and your rudeness, it seems I have to remind you that I am older than you, and as such--" She began, but was cut off as Lloyd met her eyes fully with his own, their wine red depths deepening to nearly the color of blood.

"You never went into combat before this journey started, or else you would know this; age means _nothing_ in battle." He commented coldly, arms crossing over his chest. "What matters is how often you've been in battle, and if you know _how_ to survive and _how _to _protect_ those that are with you. While you are indeed my elder and clearly demand respect, when it comes to the art of war, you have yet to earn it. I have been living by the blade since I was old enough to wield one; I know the life that a warrior lives." As if to prove his point, Lloyd rolled up one sleeve and showed his bare arm to Raine; it was crisscrossed by multiple blade wounds, all of them pale against his tanned skin. "When it comes to war, I know what I am doing; you do not. That is the way the world works, and I suggest you get that into your head before too much time has past." With that, he restored his sleeve and crossed his arms once again, eyes never wavering from where they bored into hers. "Are we at an understanding, Raine?"

Raine found herself torn between smacking herself and smacking Lloyd; she had completely caught the sarcasm in his voice when he had said her name, but at the same time, he was dead right. Compared to Lloyd's obviously battle-tempered heart and mind, she was an infant in the eyes of combat, and she only knew how to heal the wounds that came with battle. In this respect, she had to bow to his experience and let him lead, because he knew more of it than she ever did.

And now that she thought about it, he sounded almost as world weary as an adult as he mentioned the life of a warrior; then Raine bit back a wine as a pang of sympathy past through her. Lloyd was an orphan, and even though he had said he had been cared for, he most likely fought against the Desians that had caused him such grief in the first place.

Nodding her head, Raine sighed. "I understand." That seemed to placate Lloyd, because he nodded in reply and drew a deep breath.

"You're a delta." He said simply, and turned to look at Genis and Colette, "While I believe the Chosen to be able to use Damage Guard, you, Genis, are also a delta fighter type." Seeing the confused looks he was getting, Lloyd shook his head and simply said, 'I'll explain later; what I'm basically saying is that you-the Sages, I mean—are long range magic users, and are not properly suited for close range or mid range combat; the spell that you two will have to learn is called "Force Field"." He then went on to explain the process of casting the spell, instead of simply showing them how to use it.

"Why do you say it and not use it?" Genis asked finally, puzzled. Lloyd shrugged.

"I'm an all distance fighter; omega type, if you wish to be technical. The spell that's best to use when you're that type of fighter is "Guardian", because it blocks all attacks equally well; "Force Field" is excellent at blocking magical attacks, but physical blows tend to break through more often. "Damage Guard" is better for physical blows, but the magical resistance is mediocre." He explained in what he hoped was a simple enough way; while the siblings seemed to be able to understand, he worried about the I.Q of the Chosen.

"Oh … that makes sense …" Genis admitted, blinking as he began to put forth the mana to use the spell. Lloyd stopped him, however.

"Save your mana for when it's needed in fight, alright?" He asked, and Genis ended up nodding in understanding; there was some logic to that, after all. Once he was certain that Raine knew the tech as well, Lloyd turned to Colette and began explaining the usage of Damage Guard to her; she took a tad longer than the siblings, but she got the hang of things rather quickly. "Alright, we're set; let's go break this seal." He said, and walked up towards the entrance.

Upon reaching it, Lloyd wasn't shocked to see a polycarbonate slab blocking the entrance. What _did_ shock him however was the sight of Raine doing a complete one eighty on her attitude and rushing over to the ruins, examining them all with the feverous nature of a fangirl that had an article of her idol's clothing in her hand. "Marvelous!! This is polycarbonate, an ancient alloy created during the Kharlan war to …" Lloyd tuned her out at that point, and instead turned to look at Genis, who seemed mortally embarrassed.

"Does she … have a split personality?" He asked after a moment, gesturing at Raine. Genis groaned.

"It's so irritating, isn't it? I've been trying to hide it for a good time now …" He sighed, and he threw up his arms in exasperation. Lloyd grimaced and nodded in sympathy; having to live with her most likely was not truly good for one's mental stability. Watching as she continued to rave and step onto the polycarbonate slab, he felt a voice that sounded suspiciously like Leila whispering in his mind to make the slab move out from beneath her; he ignored it, because he suspected that he was already on thin enough ice around the half-elf as it was.

Almost aimlessly, he wandered over to the Oracle stone. "Hmm? What's this now; it seems to have a hand shaped imprint in it, and unless I'm mistaken …" He never finished as Raine bolted over and nearly knocked him to the floor to examine the Oracle stone. After exclaiming loudly over the stone, she called Colette over and had the blond chosen activate it. Like Lloyd had been expecting, the polycarbonate slab slid backwards to reveal a stairway leading down into the vast belly of the Seal.

"Wow, I guess I really am a Chosen after all." Colette commented, and Lloyd walked ahead of her and into the seal so as to keep them from seeing his rolling eyes; could she get any more blond? A thud followed him a moment later, a sign that she had somehow tripped down the stairs, thus proving him wrong; she could get more blond without even trying. Turning around and helping Colette to her feet, Lloyd watched around him with wary eyes as Genis and then Raine came down the stairs.

"I don't believe my magic will be of much use here; we are in the Seal of Fire, after all." He commented after a moment, and they nodded in understanding. That was the extent of all conversation until they actually managed to reach the warp that lead to the Seal's location. Lloyd—not fully trusting the Guardian of the seal to be polite—stepped through first, and was shocked to see the Guardian standing there, waiting for them.

It was a young man with orange hair, a pair of trench knives dangling from his white belt. He raised one eyebrow, and he narrowed his eyes as Lloyd stepped into the room. "You're not the Chosen of Mana, are you? Your mana signature is … different." He said simply, watching with interest as the other three stumble through the portal as well. "Oh, there she is, I was worried that one of my monsters would have killed her off along the way." The Guardian commented lightly, stretching his arms above his head.

"You do realize that even if you are the Guardian of Fire, it is still polite to give your name, correct?" Lloyd said flatly, giving the Guardian his most dead-panned expression ever, which Yuan had long ago dubbed as "Kratos'-are-you-really-that-stupid?-look". The Guardian twitched, and a vein began to bulge in his forehead.

"Odd mana or not, I must say that you are rather blunt with what you say." He commented, giving Lloyd an irate look; it did nothing to faze the brunet's look. Finally sighing, the Guardian suddenly donned both of his trench knives, and said boldly, "I am Serius, Guardian of Fire and Acolyte of Fire!! The Chosen and one other companion of her choosing must best me in battle, in the name of the Guardian Lord!!" With that, Serius smirked at Colette. "Choose your comrade, Chosen one!"

Colette had been expecting the Guardian of Mana to be a monster of some sort, not a man in his early twenties!! This was very different than what her grandmother had been telling her would happen, but she was not one to simply stop in confusion if something happened that she didn't expect. "Uh … Uh …" She spun around, and her eyes settled on Lloyd; the words of the ghost came back to her, as did the words of Aeries.

"_Please, protect the Phoenix …"_

"_That boy is a master of fire magic! He was dubbed the Phoenix of Luin by the Desians of the Luin Ranch!!" _Now more than ever, Colette's mind began to question what the two meant by that; what all was Lloyd hiding from them. Right now, however, what mattered was besting Serius and awakening Efreet. "Lloyd … would you?" She asked, folding her hands before her as she asked her stoic bodyguard. To her relief, Lloyd's deadpanned look broke, and he nodded, a small smile on his face.

Raine was torn; while part of her swore that it was only because Lloyd being better suited to combat with Serius than the others, another part was becoming more worried about how close the Chosen was with the strange boy. 'Now Raine, think logically!! Lloyd is immune to fire magic, and from what he was explaining, he's better suited to this sort of battle; if Genis or I had been chosen, we would not have been able to do much to harm him. That is the only reason.'

Genis understood this at well, but he still couldn't help but feel a little miffed. But logic and understanding dictated his actions, so he simply sent the two a grin and said, "Go get him, you two!!" Serius looked at the young half-elf and then at Lloyd as the brunet drew both of his swords and approached. There was something about him that felt so familiar ... !!! Could it be _HIM?!_

"Well, now that you have chosen, Chosen One--"

"_Must_ you use such bad puns!?" Lloyd shouted, exasperated; it was getting late, he had a headache, and all he wanted to do was kill something. and puns just served to irritate him further. Serius' eye twitched again, but the redhead didn't say anything as a fire fox appeared, its four tails ablaze. Colette gasped, and Lloyd merely raised an eyebrow. "That's different." He commented simply, a grin spreading on his face; he loved a good challenge, but he doubted that anyone would give him as much of a workout as Yuan managed to. (A/N: O.O PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THAT THE WRONG WAY!!)

Serius nodded, then charged at the two. Right before he neared the two, he spun around, brining the blade out to slash open a wound on whoever it happened to come in contact with. Colette managed to get out of the way in time, and one of Lloyd's swords parried the blow as the fire fox charged the two. Colette-who saw it coming, quickly began pummeling it with her chakrams, keeping the beast from getting to Lloyd as he dueled with Serius.

The battle for the Seal of Fire had begun.

―鳳―

(Welgaia …)  
For Mithos Yggdrasil, leader of Cruxis and fallen hero, the past fourteen years had been uneventful. After Kratos' death, he had begun to think of other ways to keep any summoner that arrived away from the Spirit King's seal, but fortunately, there was none. After that, he had left the seal alone, and instead began to ponder the fate of Kratos' child.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, the blond Seraph began to ponder exactly what had happened to the boy; someone that young would not have lasted long without the loving affection of his parents in that weather, obviously. The Angelus Project had vanished as well, but it might have been destroyed in the tussle, nothing more. It was a loss, but it was a tolerable one.

What _wasn't_ a tolerable loss was the murder of K'var; they had yet to figure out what had killed the fierce Desian Cardinal. When he had arrived and saw the corpse, he instantly had known that it wasn't a natural death. Nor had the killer been human; the half-elf had been slashed clean open from head to toe, by something with three talons on its feet. A very LARGE something, because from what the sole survivor of the attack said, it had blocked out the sun when it had arrived, fire billowing about it—the fire had killed the rest of the Desians, leaving whatever it was free to strike down K'var with a single blow.

'Something large, with a master over fire.' Yggdrasil's eyes narrowed, but he knew that wasn't what it was. There had been half a print nearby, and from that, it seemed almost bird-like. That would mean … heh, he should've remembered the bond that Kratos' family had with aerial beasts. "Hmm … no matter; the boy is dead." He told himself, a smirk dancing on his face. "The Phoenix or not, Lloyd is of no threat to me anymore."

_**AND WHY IS THAT, MITHOS YGGDRASIL?**_ A woman's voice asked, sounding from all sides. Yggdrasil rose from his throne in a hurry, and began looking around for whoever had spoken, his eyes finally spying a being that he doubted he would ever forget; her hair was the same brilliant shad of auburn as Kratos' hair had been, and trailed behind her onto the floor as she approached him. A circlet of fire flowers graced her brow, accenting vermilion eyes, her skin the color of creamed-coffee. The dress she wore seemed to be made of interwoven cloth of gold and copper threads, and her feet were bare. A necklace of garnets commanded attention to the shadow between her voluptuous breasts, and an aura of power the likes of which Yggdrasil had never seen before draped itself over her like a cloak.

Stopping in the middle of the room, she locked eyes with him again and asked, _**WELL? WHY SHOULD YOU NOT FEAR LLOYD? YOU HAVE NO EVIDENCE TO SHOWN THAT HE HAS PAST BEYOND THE GRAVE.**_ At this, she blinked slowly, and a sardonic smile crossed her face. _**AH, BUT EVEN IF YOU DID, YOU FORGET THE POWERS OF THE PHOENIX; THEIR DEATH, NO MATTER HOW GRUESOME, IS ONLY A TEMPORARY END.**_ Her head tilted to one side, and the smile only grew wider. _**AND THEY WILL ATTACK ANY WHO HARM THOSE CLOSE TO THEM, EVEN AT THE RISK OF DYING ALONG WITH THEM.**_

_**FOR SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS, MY ELDEST CHILD—THE PHOENIX—HAS LAID IN ENDLESS SLUMBER.**_ The woman's eyes began to glow brightly, and Yggdrasil held up an arm to keep himself from being blinded. _**BUT NOW, HE IS AWAKE ONCE MORE, AND THE WORLD WILL BE TRULY RESTORED.**_ _**YOUR JUDGMENT WILL COME, MITHOS.**_

As she said his name, the woman changed into a bird far larger than any Yggdrasil had seen in his life, her hair becoming the feathers that adorned her being. Gold, copper, vermilion, and crimson light flared, revealing wings that burned upon contact with the open air of the room as five long, elegant tail feathers of gold tipped ruby appeared, making the bird seem to fill the room. A cry left her beak, and her vermilion eyes seemed to burn as she looked down at Yggdrasil from her imperial height. _**HE WILL COME FOR YOU, AND YOU CANNOT DEFEAT HIM FOR LONG.**_ With that, the bird was gone as suddenly as she had appeared, only a single, burning vermilion feather left on the floor where she had been.

Yggdrasil, who had been spellbound the entire time, fell to his knees and released the breath he hadn't known he was holding. He had once asked Kratos what it felt like to speak with the goddess of the south, but the auburn had simply told him that he would know when he did; he hadn't lied. Speaking with Suzaku was an experience that Yggdrasil had never even expected to be so … powerful; she had radiated enough power from her being to make him nervous, and she could wield it all with grace and ease.

**HE WILL COME FOR YOU.** Yggdrasil grimaced; it appeared Lloyd was alive. Straightening, he waited for Remiel to appear in the room. "Remiel, when you grant the Chosen one her wings, I want you to look around for anyone whose mana signature strikes you as familiar; along the lines of Kratos' mana." He ordered, to which the lesser angel agreed. As he left, Yggdrasil turned around and faced one of the immense windows, staring out into the violet fog before him. "Oh, I know he would come, Suzaku; I knew that as soon as word reached my ears of his birth." A smirk danced across his face. "But unlike what you believe, I can and will defeat him, and I shall give him a fate far worse than eternal sleep."

―鳳―

(The Seal of Fire)  
Serius and Lloyd collided again, both of the young men bringing their weight against one another over the tangled steel between them as Colette dueled mercilessly with the fire fox. The fight had been raging for only five minutes, and yet the damage to the seal room betrayed all the damage that their attacks had caused; great gouges were in the wall from where the occasional errant Flame Lance spell struck it, and there were scorch marks all across the floor. More than once, Genis and Raine had needed to cast Force Field to keep themselves from being torched, awestruck at how ferocious the battle had become. Serius lived up to his status as the Guardian of Efreet well, and he had often tried to disengage from Lloyd to take on Colette; the brunet always got in the way quickly, however.

Colette glanced over at Lloyd as he managed to land a front kick into Serius' stomach, sending him back a few feet before she returned her gaze to the fox. She had managed to cripple it recently, her chakrams slicing the tendons and ligaments in its left hind leg. Now, weary and unable to move, the beast had simply begun to fire bursts of flame at her, stopping her from throwing her chakrams and getting any closer. She was just about to charge it when it suddenly shot a flame spear at her; it missed, but the explosion that followed knocked her forward and made her break one chakram.

"I'm MAD now!!" She hollered, standing up again in an instant and charging the fox, her single chakram spinning around her fingers as a glowing light formed around it. "Angel's Halo!!" She cried out, sending the metal ring flying, the light trailing behind it; the fox saw it coming, and desperately shot a flame burst at it; the fire parted on either side of it, and the glowing chakram continued on its flight, slicing the fox's forehead open and defeating it. With a mournful howl, it disintegrated into flame and ash.

When his familiar was defeated, Serius let out a yell of pain and fell to one knee. "Damn it!! Kaibi!!" he cried out, looking at the glowing disc that had finished the fox; it was flying straight at him. Growling, the Guardian rose up and attempted to stop it, but found that the ring of light faded out briefly and then reappeared, trapping his arms to his sides. "What the hell?!" He hollered, stunned; Lloyd was as well, and he looked at the slightly calmer Colette.

"Chosen, I didn't know that you could do a move like this." He said simply, looking between her and the ring of light that had efficiently immobilized Serius. "It's quiet efficient, actually." Colette blushed from the praise and looked at the floor.

"I … I didn't know about it either, until just now." She admitted, looking up sheepishly at the brunet. Lloyd gave her a slight smile, and he turned to Serius, who seemed to be complacent.

Then, the ring of light was expelled, and Colette found her chakram back in her hand; Serius stood before her and Lloyd at the Seal, a grin on his face. "Well done, Chosen One; the seal has broken, and now you must offer your prayers to the great Goddess Martel to awaken Efreet. As for me, I will go to rest until I am needed once more." With that, Serius began to fade out of existence, but he gave Lloyd one last long look; this was very mysterious indeed, this boy's mana. It was so similar to the Guardian Lord's … "May the goddess protect you all." He said simply, never saying if it was Martel or another goddess.

After the guardian had left, Colette placed her chakram into her sack and stepped towards the altar, relieved that the Guardian had been defeated so soundly. Clasping her hands before her chest, she bent her head as a garnet colored light emerged, and flames began to form around the seal's base. "Oh Goddess Martel, I pray that you look upon our world with favor, and grant the sleeping spirit with his awakening." She whispered, and to her amazement, the light grew bright enough to reveal a silhouette of Efreet himself, albeit briefly. Then the light was gone, and Remiel descended from the heavens.

"Well done, Colette, my daughter; the Goddess Martel has heard your pleas, and with the rousing of Efreet, Cruxis grants upon you its blessing." He said solemnly, summoning the four orbs of light that floated down to where Colette stood, quickly vanishing into her flesh. A heartbeat later, the light began to illuminate her from beneath, and it wasn't long before a pair of glorious wings the same elegant shade of fuchsia as the clouds at sunset appeared behind her shoulders, accented brightly with lavender.

"Thank you, Father." Colette replied after a moment, hovering up into the air so that she was directly beneath the angel. Remiel looked at her with a false serene smile, his senses reaching out to see what Lord Yggdrasil had meant by his orders; there. The mana to his far left felt almost identical to Lord Kratos', but it was far younger and not quite as strong; so this was his son, Lloyd.

"Head to the west, to a place where the sea flows freely and the water soars to the heavens. There lies the Seal of Water, and your next task." He said as he began to ascend once more, his white wings flapping in the air. "And there we will speak again, my dear child." With that, the angel was gone, and Colette landed on the room's floor once again.

"That was incredible Colette!" Genis cried out, running towards his friend and staring in awe at her wings. "They're so cool!!!" He exclaimed, running his hands over the glowing limbs. Colette looked at him and giggled, and began to flap them incessantly in his face, making the younger half-elf laugh with delight as he tried to grab them.

Suddenly, however, Colette's face went pale, and the blond girl fell to one side, her wings vanishing. Lloyd moved quickly and caught her, and slowly hoisted her onto his back. "It's most likely the strain from releasing the seal; we should get her out of here." He said quickly, heading towards the warp panel. A part of him winced in sympathy for the girl; she was going to be in for a long, painful night.

'_And in the end, it'll all be pointless.'_ A small voice in the back of Lloyd's head whispered darkly. _'You know why, right? It's because you're going to kill her!! You'll be damning the world your mother came from in order to keep things from switching around!!'_ Lloyd growled mentally at the voice, slamming a wall between it and the rest of his mind. But the seed of doubt had been planted, and there was very little doubt that it would grow stronger and take root.

―鳳―

_Well, how was that for a chapter?? And as for the different seal Guardian, all of the seals will be getting that. What caused it, might you ask?? ^w^ you won't hear from me!!! Oh, and expect the encounter with Sheena to happen next chapter at long last!!! XD And don't worry, Suzaku will be making more appearances after this one._

_Here's Serius' profile …_

Fire: Serius  
Race: Guardian  
Sex: Male  
Apparent age: twenty-two  
Hair: orange with gold tips  
Eyes: bright red  
Symbol: fox with fiery tails and crown  
Weapon: Trench knives (brass knucles with a blade on the outside edge)  
Outfit: wears blood red boots and vest (vest worn open), orange cargo pants, charcoal colored belt, red gloves  
Personality: Short tempered, caring, tough, prankster

_Review, please!!_


	11. Throwing a wrench in things

_**Lloyd:**__ going … through … withdrawal … LI!!!  
Hold on, hold on!! God damn Lloydie, you'll get to see Sheena this chapter!!  
__**Leila:**__ Told you he was a whipped puppy.  
I think he's past that point, Leila.  
__**Lloyd:**__ I'm still here you know.  
Obviously; I can't get rid of you to save my life these days.  
__**Lloyd:**__ … Li owns Serius and Leila, nothing more …_

**11. Throwing a wrench in things**

―鳳―

_Serius walked through the vast darkness, his brows furrowed across his forehead. Kaibi trotted alongside him, as if sensing its master's confusion. "I do not understand." Serius said aloud at long last, sighing heavily."When I felt that Mana, I thought that Master had returned … but now, I do not know what is going on. I don't know what the Goddess wants us to do …"_

**YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN ONE TO UNDERSTAND THINGS LIKE THIS BEFORE, SERIUS. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT THIS TIME WOULD BE DIFFERENT?** _Serius turned around and bowed low as Suzaku's human form appeared before him, seated on a throne shaped like the beast that Lloyd had seen with the orange haired smith, her elegant figure radiating a brilliant vermilion glow .She gave Serius a reprimanding look, and continued,_** WITH THE BARRIER BETWEEN THE REALM OF THE DEMONS AND THE REALM OF MORTALS THINNING AS IT IS, I HAD HOPED YOU DID NOT QUESTION WHEN I CAME AND ASKED YOU TO TEST THE CHOSEN AND MY DESCENDANT. IS MY JUDGMENT NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU, SERIUS?**

"_I meant no offense, Goddess, but I simply wished to know … is it true?? Is that boy truly Master's direct descendant?" Serius asked from his kneeling position, but was shocked when a different voice answered, and not Suzaku's._

"_It would make sense; the beast guardians wouldn't have asked for us to take their places with the Chosen if he hadn't been." Stepping out of the shadows was a young woman around Lloyd's age with floor length platinum blond hair and pale grey-blue eyes. A silver circlet kept her bangs out of her face as she approached the other Guardian, a sad look on her face. "ever since Master passed away, we've all been so alone … I miss Noxiline so much …" Serius looked at the female Guardian and sighed heavily._

"_Aleth … I miss them all as well, but please don't get upset …" He asked Aleth, who smiled weakly at him, her crane familiar glowing behind her; Aleth and Noxiline were lovers, and they had hardly ever been apart for such a long amount of time before, so it was understandable. It still seemed to irritate Serius, however, when the two women were forever pining for the other._

**BE THAT AS IT MAY, MY DISCIPLES, THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE BARRIER TO BE RESTORED.**_ Suzaku's commanding voice made Aleth and Serius look at her in wonder. There was something about the goddess that had changed, because now her voice was both imperious and caring at the same time. _**… HAVE YOU HEARD FROM NOXILINE AND PERDEUS, THEN? ARE THEY IN PLACE FOR WHEN THE CHOSEN ARRIVES AT THEIR SEALS?**_ Serius and Aleth bowed._

"_Yes; Perdeus contacted me last night; he is at the Seal of Water now." Serius said blandly, Kaibi nodding behind him. Aleth also nodded, and said, "and Noxiline is at the Seal of Wind; I was heading for the Seal of Light when I heard that Serius had returned." Suzaku nodded to the pair, and closed her eyes._

**VERY WELL; CONTINUE ON YOUR WAY, ALETH. SERIUS, YOU MAY REST AND REGAIN YOUR ENERGY, BUT THEN I WANT YOU TO GO AND GATHER CRUX, XARILAS, KIRION, AND ZENETH, AND BRING THEM BEFORE ME; I WILL TELL THEM WHAT THEY ARE TO DO WHEN THE TRUE JOURNEY BEGINS.**

―鳳―

_(Outside the Seal of Fire ...)  
_Colette awoke with a soft sigh, holding her head as she rose up from beneath the covers of her sleeping bag. It was nighttime, and she could see Genis and Raine asleep on the other side of the fire, with Lloyd's back being visible from where he sat on watch duty. " ... How long was I asleep?" She asked softly, not wanting to draw attention; however, Lloyd seemed to hear her, because he looked over his shoulder with a worried expression on his face.

"Chosen one, are you feeling well?" he asked gently, knowing full well that her body was beginning to change. "You gave us quite the scare back in the Seal, and if it weren't for the fact that it was twilight already when we left the ruins, Miss Raine would've gone all the way back to Triet with you. It took a while, but I managed to make her stop and rest; she and her brother were dead on their feet." Colette looked at Lloyd and smiled weakly.

"Yeah ... I'm better ..." She replied, fighting back the blush that overtook her face. Just what was it about Lloyd that made her blush and feel faint whenever she spoke with him? Giggling, she asked softly, "Have you been taking guard duty the entire night, Lloyd?" A nod was her response. "I can take over for a bit ... if you'd like; you must need a break." She offered, to which Lloyd blinked and stared at her in mild confusion before giving her a light, pleasant smile.

"Thank you, Chosen; if something happens, get my attention." Lloyd said as he stood, eyes shifting over to a corner. "But ... I'll be right back." He said evasively, walking quickly to a shadowy area nearby. Colette simply assumed that Lloyd needed to relieve himself, and didn't want to be vulgar about it, so she shook her head and giggled at her bodyguard's uptight attitude sometimes and settled on the rock he had been sitting on before, looking around the desert with wary eyes as the Sage siblings slept behind her.

Lloyd looked over his shoulder once while he was walking away; not shockingly, Colette wasn't looking to see where he had gone. 'That girl ... she's too trusting; one of these days, someone will manage to stick a knife in her back before too long ...' he thought, ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that let out a sardonic laugh at the statement. Looking around, Lloyd saw moonlight glint off of golden scales, making him grin widely. "Leila!!" He whispered, before leaping at the dragon and wrapping both of his arms around her neck. Leila looked down at him and chuckled happily, her tail flicking back and forth over the sands.

**I take it I was missed then.** She commented, her violet eyes twinkling in amusement. Lloyd didn't respond right away, and instead opted to scratch Leila's neck. **Ah … that feels good …** Leila let out a noise that was halfway between a growl and a purr, which only served to make Lloyd smile happily; Leila had been with him for so long, it felt weird to not have her around, annoyingly blunt though she was.

"Well, while I'm happy to say that I approve of you two getting along so well, I don't have all night to be here, Lloyd." Yuan's dry voice came from the side, making Lloyd turn and look at the cobalt as he walked into view. "When Leila arrived—and nearly broke down the doors in the process, I hope you know—and gave me her side of the report, I figured it would be best if I came to get your report." He explained, sending a glare towards Leila as Lloyd let go of her neck and dropped onto the ground.

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with you there; the Chosen is completely hopeless." Lloyd said coldly, folding his arms over his chest. Yuan arched an eyebrow in curiosity, waiting for Lloyd to continue. Seeing the older angel waiting, Lloyd drew a breath before saying flatly, "Apart from her mana signature and a couple of her rather interesting techs, I find that this Chosen one is rather inept. If it weren't for the level of her mana signature, I wouldn't see the point in keeping her alive as a Chosen instead of finding a more suitable one."

Yuan nodded, and sighed. "Unfortunately, whether or not the Chosen is inept or not doesn't matter to Yggdrasil; all that matters is the mana signature. If it didn't …" at this, the cobalt looked in the direction of the fire where Colette and the Sage siblings waited for Lloyd to return. "… then perhaps we wouldn't have to kill someone as sincere and tender as her; there's few enough people in the world like her as it is." Lloyd had to agree with that, and nodded slowly. "Well, what about the two half-elves that was Leila telling me about; what are they like?"

"The younger of the two has quite the talent with elemental magic, actually." Lloyd admitted nodding his head and glancing back in the direction of the others as well. "Apart from that, he's short, young, and has quite the high intelligence. His physical strength leaves much to be desired, but like I said, he's young."

"Most people are physically weak compared to you, Lloyd." Yuan responded evenly, shaking his head as Lloyd glowered at him, "But you still have a ways to go before you can beat me in an actual fight, and your father's very name meant strength." He taunted, which only made Lloyd glower more.

**Owned.** Leila sniggered, shrinking back down to her traveling size and settling herself on Lloyd's shoulder. Lloyd ignored her, and simply sighed heavily at his uncle.

"And as for the elder half-elf …" Lloyd paused for a moment, recalling how Raine had acted at the Seal of Fire. "… I think she has a split personality, and let's leave it at that." Yuan raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment when he saw the way Lloyd was glancing over his shoulder; he'd kept the teen long enough.

"Very well; continue on with your assignment, and once again, _don't die._" Yuan said before vanishing in a brief flash of light. Lloyd had to grin at Yuan's attitude; while it might sound like the man was criticizing the teen, in all reality it was his way of telling Lloyd that he cared for him.

"Don't worry Yuan; I won't die yet."

―鳳―

The next morning dawned bright and early, and without further ado, the four headed off to Triet to restock on supplies and to figure out where they were headed for next. "From what the angel said, I assume that we'll have to take a ship from Izoold over to Palmacosta." Lloyd said once they were all in one of the two rooms that they had rented for the night. "While I'm not a hundred percent certain, Remiel might have been mentioning the Thoda Geyser."

"That makes sense." Raine commented from where she sat on a bed, writing down all the information on the elemental monsters they encountered in the Seal of Fire. "He described a place where water and air mingled, so it only makes sense that it would be at a geyser … but why do we have to go over on a boat? Couldn't we just take the overland passage?" Raine asked, her stomach filling with dread at the thought of having to cross over water.

"While that's rather logical, I know of two—no, three, now that I think about it—problems to that automatically." Lloyd responded gently, and then pulled out a map of Sylvarant and spread it on the floor. "The first of which would be the amount of time and supplies that would be needed to take that way as opposed as taking to the water. The second reason why I'm against it … well, look at how far apart Hima, Luin and Asgard are." He pointed to each city in turn, his fingers tracing the roads between them. "We would most likely run out of supplies and food halfway between the cities, and while I know how to track and hunt, I'd rather not need to do it unless necessary; it's time consuming, and well, let's just say that the Desians from the Luin Ranch are rather aggressive. And that's without even going into the track record I have with them." The tone of Lloyd's voice at the mention of Desians—along with the hardening of his eyes—brooked no argument.

"Well, what's the third problem then??" Genis asked, puzzled. Lloyd had only given two reasons, unless the Desians were the third.

"The third problem goes by the name of Koton." Lloyd grimaced, and pointed to Hakonesia Peak. "To get over this mountain, you need a certain type of road pass; I have one, but it needs to be renewed, and the only one who can do that is Koton. He lives right at the base of the southern side of the mountain, and the guards won't let anyone pass if you don't have a pass or if it's not up to code." At this, Lloyd stopped and smiled slyly. "While they would most certainly let the Chosen through, if you combine my reasoning on top of the other two, going to Palmacosta via Izoold would make more sense."

Raine had to nod in understanding at the reasoning behind Lloyd's decision. While her hydrophobia would make her all but immobile over the boat trip, she would rather deal with that than have to trek all over the northern continent so soon. With that, the brief meeting was adjourned, and the boys headed off to their room to prepare for the next day of travel. Colette pulled out a book that she had been reading before the meeting and settled in a corner of her cot to read while Raine pulled out the log book that she was using to keep her interesting notes on Lloyd in.

_Subject Log #3_

_There isn't much to report on this time, but what I am putting in here will most likely be of significant importance later on in this Journey. The first of which happens to be that Lloyd's thinking is mostly logical and rather on the practical side. Although he admitted to me earlier on that he only learned history from his uncle for a couple of years at home before taking to the life of a wandering mercenary—which he calls a "ronin", for reasons I don't quite understand—he managed to retain most of the important historical information that one would need to survive in the world. _

_Adding onto that fact, his practicality is incredible for someone who has yet to become an adult. While growing up an orphan might have something to do with that, it still shows quite a developed level of maturity and acceptance for life. He also seems to know when to shut up and when to speak; I know this for a fact because I let my temper run away with me at the Seal, which he quickly handled with rather dignified and truthful statements. (Even if it was a blow to my pride, but that's a different story)_

_And finally, Lloyd seems to have quite the history with the Desians over near Luin and Asgard. After much badgering and almost being begged to sing again (he flat out refused to do that before Colette could finish her sentence while giving him the biggest puppy eyes I've ever seen; I have to give him credit for that), I managed to find out the reason that he was so sensitive about being asked about visiting Luin was because it was where his mother was born. He didn't go into too much detail about his "track record" with them, to use his own words, but he did say it was quite impressive for someone of his age._

… _That is all for right now, so until more information arrives, there will be nothing more said._

With that, Raine closed the book and slipped under the covers, ready to sleep. Regardless of having to go over water or not, she would need her rest; they would attempt to at least get to the Ossa Pass the next day, if not getting started on the pass itself if it was still early enough.

―鳳―

As it was, with how late Lloyd managed to get the others up the next day, the four barely made it to the edge of the desert before night fell. While it was annoying Lloyd to no end, he wasn't the sort of person who would push other people over the edge just so they could get a little bit farther. After getting camp set up and having the food cooked—which had Colette shocking the Sage siblings by saying she wasn't all that hungry—the four simply began to occupy themselves with their own tasks.

So it didn't startle anyone too much when Lloyd drew his swords and began to run through his stances and katas. What was startling was when Lloyd discarded his right handed sword and began to train solely with the blade in his left hand, running through stances that would better suit someone with a single sword. After he was through with that, he repeated the same exercise with his right handed sword. After that, both swords were in hand again, but this time, he actually managed to mix in a bit of magic and martial arts as well.

Genis, although impressed, needed to know why Lloyd was doing what he was. "Hey, Lloyd, I know it might be rude, but I have to ask; why do you use two swords when you obviously can use only one and other attack methods?" He queried, and was shocked to see Lloyd stop what he was doing and walk over to him. Sitting by the fire across from the younger half-elf, Lloyd unbuttoned his jacket and took a sip of water before answering.

"Because it's best to be prepared for anything; if I lost the ability to use one of my arms, I would need to have some other way to fight." He explained gently, a small smile working its way onto his face. "As for why I use two swords, it's simply because I don't like having one hand empty in a fight; too many things can go wrong, and since I'm actually pre-dominantly left-handed — I was born with that, the Exsphere doesn't affect that in anyway — it's taken me a while to get my right hand up to the same strength as the left; I keep practicing it solely so that it doesn't become a weak point." A bright, actual smile crossed Lloyd's face as he said happily, "Plus, I just like catching people off guard."

The comment at the end made Raine and Genis both anime drop (away from the fire, of course), with one thought going through their heads; 'as if the fact that throwing your swords doesn't catch people off guard as it is …' Colette, on the other hand, was delighted to see an actual smile on Lloyd's face, regardless of what he was talking about. 'So … he can still smile like he's genuinely happy with life.' She thought to herself, making a mental note to thank the goddess that her bodyguard could still act his age.

As it was later in the evening when this took place, the other three retired for bed shortly after, leaving Lloyd to take watch duty again. Why he never complained about having to stay up most of the night—or all of it, for that matter—none knew, but they were certainly grateful for it. While the others slept, Lloyd and Leila stared up at the holographic stars above them. **'If there's one thing I've ever hoped for … it's to actually see the **_**true**_** stars up in the sky, not Yggdrasil's cheap imitations.' **Lloyd commented mentally to Leila, who sighed heavily.

"**They're quite the sight to behold, hatchling, let me tell you that much."** She replied, her violet eyes whirling with remembrance at the sights she had seen in her immortal life. **"While this imitation above us is rather decent, no mere physical being—earth bound or otherwise—can fully duplicate the heavens. While it is enough for those who live down here and know nothing but the skies they see during the day, for those of us who remember the time before this illusion are left with a sense of wanting."** At that point, the dragonet leaped from Lloyd's lap to sit atop his head, her tail twining around the ponytail that the teen kept most of his unruly brown hair in. **"To stare into the heavens and find the patterns in the stars … to wonder if there was another place with sentient beings on it somewhere in the great abyss. To question where the gods themselves lived above us in the heavens … that is a life that I would gladly spend all of my possible energy living. While traveling is good and all, I am not a fighter by nature."**

"**You're just a snippety dragon with an ego issue." **Lloyd teased gently, ignoring the growl of annoyance Leila gave him in response. After a few moments of silence, he sighed heavily and said softly, **"But I have to agree with you; that sounds like a life I would enjoy having …"**

"**You're not the only one, hatchling; you're not the only one."**

―鳳―

The next morning was rather uneventful at first; after getting the others up and breakfast was either thrown out or stealthily returned to the pot (Raine had cooked, much to Genis' dismay) and having granola bars that Lloyd carried with him for this sort of emergency, the four had begun to tackle the Ossa Pass.

That's when things … got interesting, to put it mildly.

"Stop!!" a female voice that only Lloyd vaguely recognized shouted in the air, making the four look up. When he saw who had yelled, it took all of Lloyd's self control training not to break out in a huge blush; Leila noticed his discomfort from his mental state, however, and proceeded to mentally laugh up a storm.

To Raine, Genis, and Colette, what they saw was a young woman around Lloyd's age wearing rather … different clothing of a pale lavender color and a large pink bow. Gold-brown eyes looked down at them all with indifference, and a slight scowl was on her face. She hadn't noticed Lloyd yet, nor had the boy started speaking yet.

Raine looked around at the others with her, and was confused as to why the woman had made them stop; she knew Genis didn't know her, and if the downright confused look on Colette's face was anything to judge by, she didn't know her either. A glance at Lloyd revealed him to be wearing the "Aurion deadpan expression™", and no emotion was visible on his face. Deciding that remaining silent would be pointless, the female half-elf drew a breath and asked gently, "Do you need us for something, Miss?"

"Is the Chosen among you?" Sheena asked, her eyes looking around at the group now. When she saw Lloyd, she almost thought it was him at first, but quickly decided that it wasn't; the Lloyd she remembered had hair that defied gravity and went every which way and was as brown as chocolate, whereas the young man's hair was noticeably more agreeing to the laws of physics and was somewhere between brunet and auburn. He also had perhaps the most professional look of indifference that all ninja were trained to achieve, where Lloyd had been one to smile more often that frown.

Colette—being the trustingly innocent blond that she was—smiled and waved at Sheena. "That's me miss!" Lloyd, however, felt himself stiffen as he remembered what Sheena was doing here; she was here to kill Colette. While normally, Lloyd would simply stand by and let it happen, he did have a façade to keep up. Deciding to be prepared just enough in case things got too serious, he drew his left handed blade discreetly and waited for Sheena to make her move.

He was rewarded when a very dark and slightly spooky smirk crossed her face, and she leapt down from the ledge she was on. Watching her flip in mid-air, Lloyd had to give Sheena points for being graceful and deadly at the same time; he had seen her pull out a tessen from her obi, and knew better than to discard the pretty fan for simply decoration when Sheena landed and unfurled it over the lower half of her face.

For Sheena, this was perhaps the most difficult part of the assignment; how to get at the Chosen before the bodyguards managed to get her in the process. Grateful for the lessons that all kunoichi had to get in Mizuho for deception and seduction tactics, she looked at the Chosen with a deceptive gaze of admiration. "Why, I just wanted to see you for myself, Chosen one. The tales of what will happen to the world if you fail are enough to make someone as reclusive as myself come out to see you. So it's really so sad ..." at this, Sheena got the tessen into a more ready position, and shifted into her battle stance. The admiration in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a stone hard will to do her duty and complete her mission. "... that you have to die here. Sayonara and oyasuminasai_, _Chosen one!" With that, she charged, the tessen in a position to slash Colette open from shoulder to waist.

Raine and Genis were caught completely off guard, and both of them were reaching for their respective weapons when Lloyd, a sword in hand, charged at the assassin. Colette, shocked, scared, and confused again, went to take a step back and draw the new chakrams that she had just gotten from Triet, but instead tripped over her feet and fell backwards, arms flailing around.

Fortunately, one hand hit a lever that unexpected opened up the ground beneath Sheena. Caught off guard, Sheena also flailed out with her arms, and somehow managed to snag Lloyd's vest just as he arrived. "Urk!!" was all Lloyd managed to get out before he and Sheena tumbled into the tunnel beneath them. Although Lloyd knew that he had wings and could easily escape a painful death by falling, he didn't want to blow what was left of his cover to hell and back.

And he certainly didn't want Sheena to die.

So, with no other idea presenting itself, Lloyd simply tugged Sheena to his chest and clenched her tight. "Sheena, hold on." He hissed in her ear, and flipped them so that he would be the one to take the brunt of the fall. Sheena gasped into Lloyd's chest at the mention of her name, but she didn't get a chance to ask who he was because shortly after he had spoken, Lloyd had contacted with the floor without slowing down at all, and had blacked out.

―鳳―

_Well, well, that was quite the chapter, was it not?? The vocab … like I said in "Black Tortoise" for those of you who don't read it, a tessen is a fan ribbed with sharpened iron, and is often used for a weapon by women in situations like Sheena's. she still will use spell cards, but a tessen just seemed more logical for her to use in this situation. And oyasuminasai means "good night". ^.^ Sayonara, of course, means good bye. XD_

_Oh, and before I forget, here's Aleth's profile … And yes, in case it wasn't made clear in the fic, she's a lesbian. deal with it. *grabs frying pan to deal with homophobes*  
_Light: Aleth  
Race: Guardian  
Sex: Female  
Apparent Age: She looks eighteen  
Hair: platinum blond  
Eyes: light grey-blue  
Symbol: four winged crane  
Weapon: Moon sword and Sun shield  
Outfit: wears a flowing white dress trimmed with silver and sapphire blue, golden overrobe, silver circlet, star shaped pendant on her shoulder.  
Personality: Polite, sweet, cautious, easily worried, careful

_Review, pleases!!_


	12. Reunion in the Shadows: Something Stirs

_Well, due to all of the threats of bodily harm I was getting from the readers – and from Lloyd, for that matter – I decided to do a quick update. ^.^ … HOLY F***!!! I'm up to chapter 12 already?!?!!? O.o This is going to have a bigger word count than ARCH before it hits fifteen chapters, and it's not completely done yet …_

_ANYWAY …enjoy!! You know what I do and do not own!!!_

**12. Reunion in the Shadows**

―鳳―

Sheena felt Lloyd hit the ground with a shockingly loud thud, and it took most of her self control not to cry out in terror from the impact. 'Oh Kami, oh mighty Kami, please say we're both alive!!' She thought to herself, quickly scrambling off of the unconscious Lloyd and staring down into his face. 'Oh no … no, no no …'

"**Ow … Of all the ways the hatchling had to fall …"** A familiar voice growled near Sheena, who looked. There, climbing out of the wing pack at Lloyd's side, was Leila. The golden dragonet shook herself off and looked at Sheena in relief. **"Well, this explains it. He'd rather go through a painful fall than loose you, Sheena." **Sheena looked between Leila and the now unconscious Lloyd, eyes wide.

"Is he --" she whispered, to which Leila nodded.

**"It'd take a lot more than a fall like this to kill him off, but --"** The dragonet cut herself off as a panicked voice called down.

"Lloyd!! Lloyd, are you alright!?" From the sound of it, it was the Chosen who was calling, which only served to irritate Leila. Looking at Sheena, the dragonet growled once.

"**That bloody idiot; always interrupting at the most inconvenient times."** She grumbled, and then settled herself on Lloyd's chest. **"Good thing I learned how to do this trick years ago …"** Sheena didn't have to ask what Leila meant because as soon as she said it, the dragonet somehow managed to speak in Lloyd's voice. "… Ow …"

Up above, Colette let out a sigh of relief. "Are you alright down there, Lloyd?" She called again. She heard a grunt, and 'Lloyd's' response of, "If I wasn't, would I be talking to you?? … Gah … my back hurts." Down below, Sheena was struggling not to laugh hysterically at how good Leila was acting like Lloyd, because if she laughed, that would be a disaster.

Leila looked at Sheena before letting out a grunt. "Hey … this is most likely the underground passage; I'll meet up with you guys when you reach the bottom." She said in Lloyd's voice.

"What about that assassin, Lloyd?" That was Raine's voice, Leila noted, and she mentally scrambled briefly before sighing.

"I don't see her; either she was attacked and eaten, or she ran off." She said, flicking her gaze briefly over to Sheena to show the girl that she didn't fully mean it. "… I'll catch up with you when you get down here, then; you can manage until then, right?"

"… Very well; don't die until we meet up with you again." Raine sighed, and then she and the younger two were gone. Leila and Sheena waited for a couple of tense moments before sighing and relaxing. Leila shook her head. **"Bah; that woman is far more annoying than anyone I've ever met before. She makes me want to gag her every time she talks, that attitude of hers." **She growled, glaring up at the hole as she leapt over at Sheena and settled on her shoulders. **"How've you been, gixie?"** She asked, rubbing her head against Sheena's cheek.

Sheena reached up and stroked Leila's neck, smiling faintly. "Mostly, I've been worried sick about Lloyd." She admitted. Leila laughed at the statement.

**"Honey, I've been traveling with him, and even **_**I**_** worry about him."** The dragonet commented drily, making Sheena giggle. **"He's missed you like crazy as well, you know."**

"He has??" Sheena whispered, eyes wide. Looking over at the unconscious warrior, she bent over him, eyes looking at him. "… He looks so different from how we were when we last met. So much more mature …" She commented, running a hand over his cheek. "I didn't recognize him at all when he was with the Chosen's group, and I've known him for years." She muttered, mentally kicking herself over not even bothering to try and figure out who the boy with the Chosen had been.

And she had missed Lloyd terribly while they were apart; whenever someone had come into the village, she would look at the entrance from the village, praying it was him, and when it turned out it wasn't him, she felt a stinging pain right in her heart. She had never taken off the necklace he'd given her when they were children, and apart from Corrine, he had been her closest friend. True, he was two years younger than her, but he acted like he was at least two years older than her, and Lloyd always liked making her smile.

So when her feelings for him had become too much to bear, she had gone to see a friend of hers; the conversation with Akiko was still burned into her mind.

_(Flashback)  
_

_Sheena looked up at the small little hut near the rear of Mizuho as she knocked, praying that the resident would be in. "Akiko … Akiko, it's Sheena." She called, and was rewarded when the door opened up to reveal a woman in her mid-forties, her raven's-wing hair just starting to turn grey with age. Akiko looked down at Sheena with a smile on her face and in her brilliant obsidian eyes._

"_Sheena-chan, this is quite the surprise!! Come in, come in!!" Akiko stepped to one side to admit Sheena into her small home, closing the door behind the younger kunoichi. Once her guest was seated, she walked into the kitchen briefly, returning with a iron kettle and a pair of cups. _

_After sitting across from Sheena at the small kotetsu, Akiko poured them both a glass of fresh green tea before asking, "Now, what are you doing, looking do sad? You've never been one to frown, young one." The former shinobi asked, smiling gently at Sheena as the teen absently stared into her tea._

"… _I miss Lloyd." She sighed after a moment, looking up at Akiko through her bangs. When the older woman only nodded for her to continue, Sheena sighed again before continuing, "It's not like how I miss you, Orochi or Kuchinawa when you're all gone on assignments; I know that you three will come back safe and sound. But with Lloyd, it's like every day that I go without seeing him … like someone's ripping at me. It really hurts …" Akiko smiled at Sheena, knowing what was bothering the girl so much already._

"_You're in love with him, Sheena-chan." She said, sipping from her tea. The reaction Sheena gave her made Akiko want to laugh loudly; the teen went bright red in the face and leapt away from the kotetsu like it had just been hit by lightning._

"_Haa!? Me in love … with Lloyd!? Ma – matamata!!! Fuzakennayo, Akiko!!" She exclaimed, and was promptly smacked for her use of foul language. "Ow!" yelping, Sheena looked at Akiko with wide eyes, her face still beat red. "But – but I've known Lloyd forever … and I didn't even notice this sort of feeling before … are you sure it's that, Akiko?" Sheena asked after a moment, looking at her feet._

_Akiko smiled at that. "I'm quite certain, Sheena-chan; the only reason you didn't notice is because you're the one in love." She explained, taking another sip of her tea. "Finish the tea soon, Sheena-chan, it'll get cold if you don't; as for how I know what you're going through, let's just say that love is easier to spot if you aren't feeling the effects yourself." Once Sheena had calmed down and drunk her tea, Akiko sighed._

"_Do you really want to keep these emotions bottled up, Sheena-chan?" She asked, watching the girl with her calm obsidian eyes. When Sheena looked up at her in shock and confusion, Akiko continued, "Even if you try to deny what you're feeling right now, you'll just hurt yourself more just sitting around waiting for Lloyd. Go out and find him, because if he hasn't returned by now, I don't think he ever will until you ask him to."_

"_But … Akiko, I'm worried." Sheena looked down at her lap, ashamed and depressed. "what if he's … gone?" she whispered, and was shocked when she heard Akiko's cup slam down onto the table with considerable strength._

"_Are you giving up, Sheena?" Akiko asked softly when Sheena looked up at her, her voice dry. _

"_Haa?? N – no; I'm just saying …" Sheena shook her head, grabbing at the dragon scale necklace. "… a part of me just feels like there's a good chance that he's with his parents again … and I won't see him again if he is."_

"_You are giving up."_

"_I am not!!" Sheena stood quickly, trying to defend her position. Akiko simply stood and looked her dead in the eye as she stepped closer._

"… _Just because Lloyd has yet to see you again does not mean that he is dead, Sheena-chan; he might be busy." She said flatly, keeping a hand beneath Sheena's chin so the teen couldn't look away. "But the fact that you're simply writing him off as dead and not even bothering to find out for yourself means that you're giving up, and not just on yourself; you're giving up on Lloyd as well. Do you really want to ruin what you've been given, child?"_

_Sheena paused for a few moments, and then looked at the floor with tears in her eyes. "… No …" She replied, cursing the tears that were threatening to fall; while what she had been told was the truth, it still stung like no other to have Akiko tell her such things. "… I'm sorry … but I feel just so …helpless." She sniffed, wiping away her eyes. "He's younger than me and yet he looks out for me just as much as you do! I can't help but feel like I'm pathetic around him … I don't like being the damsel in distress, and yet I always am around Lloyd …"_

"_That just goes to show you that he cares for you just as much, Sheena." Akiko responded gently, knowing that Sheena was rather emotional about this sort of thing. "But … I don't think Lloyd will be one to sit and wait for you to become comfortable with it; he seems like he would rather charge headlong into something and fall flat on his face rather than wait until it's absolutely safe and dull. … Go out and find him, Sheena._

"_He's ready to shoot for the stars, and if he falls on his face, I think he'd rather be with you when he does."_

_(Flashback kai!)_

'Well, he didn't exactly fall on his face …' Sheena thought to herself, smiling as she curled up next to Lloyd on the ground; it would most likely take him a while to regain consciousness, and at the rate she bet the Chosen and her group were going, it would take them at least a half a day to reach the summit alone, let alone come down the rest of the pass. And until that time was up, Sheena wanted to cuddle with Lloyd like she had done the last time they had seen one another, back in the old house.

Within moments, she was asleep, chest rising softly as she clung to Lloyd's chest. Leila – sitting a good distance off – looked at the two and sighed. **'Can you feel ~~ the love ~~ tonight ~~?' **She sang mentally, knowing very well that if either of the two had heard her, they would've put her in a lot of pain. **'Against the evening breeze ~~~? Ah, who the hell am I kidding; I haven't heard that song in centuries! I'm shocked I can remember that much!!' ** Leila chuckled to herself after a moment, shaking her head in amusement. **' … But those two really are quite the cuddlers … well, I might as well keep guard, seeing as how they're both off in dreamland …'** With that thought in mind, Leila changed her size to that of a good sized warhorse, and curled up protectively around Lloyd and Sheena, her vary violet eyes locked on a deeper part of the pass.

'**Something's down there, alright … but what?'**

―鳳―

When Lloyd stirred the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that his back hurt. A LOT; groaning, he opened his eyes, only to find himself staring at the evening sky far ahead of him. 'Well, that explains why my back feels like hell …' he thought, groaning again as he attempted to sit up. He couldn't fully, but that was because of the warm, heavy weight on his one side. Glancing over, Lloyd saw a sleeping Sheena clinging to him. 'Oh yeah … I forgot Sheena was with me.' He thought, blushing at the way her lavender yukata hugged her form.

Laying back down – mostly due to the fact that he didn't want to make his back move more than necessary, but also due to the fact that he didn't want to wake Sheena up – he looked at her in awe, his eyes taking in her curves with wonder. 'Wow … she's grown a lot …' He thought, not noticing that he had stopped breathing. Rolling so that he was on his side facing Sheena, he rubbed her cheek with one hand, letting his fingers linger as his eyes were drawn to her lips.

'I wonder … are they as soft as they look?' He thought, one finger ghosting over the pale pink flesh, a tingling racing up his spine. Leaning closer, Lloyd allowed Sheena's warm breath to brush his face, making him stop for a moment and gaze at her again. After taking in how gentle and serene her sleeping face looked up close, Lloyd sighed out a soft breath and claimed Sheena's lips, absorbing their sweet taste in delight.

Sheena awoke the moment the kiss was started, her gold brown eyes fluttering open to take in the sight of Lloyd kissing her. 'Oh … my …!!!! … How long has he been waiting to do this??' A blush graced her face, and she tentatively pressed back against Lloyd, wondering if he would notice. He did; letting out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a purr, Lloyd wrapped his arms around Sheena and hugged her for all he was worth, legs tangling around hers.

After a moment, the two parted, panting lightly, smiling. "You know … I wouldn't mind waking up like that again." Sheena commented after a moment, blushing as Lloyd nodded in silent agreement. Burying her face in his chest, the kunoichi sighed, "Kami, Lloyd, I've been worried sick about you!! You sent one letter, and then you went silent!!!" She exclaimed, sitting up and shaking Lloyd's shoulders as she did.

Wincing at the pain that racked his shoulders, Lloyd held up a hand to stall Sheena before casting a First Aid spell. "Sorry, but my back was coming quite close to killing me." He explained, smiling weakly. "Angelic powers or no, falling as far as we did and landing on one's back hurts quite a lot."

"You didn't use your wings??" Sheena asked, startled; now that she thought about it, she hadn't felt them in use when they had fallen. Lloyd shook his head.

"Nope; the Chosen and her friends don't know that I'm an angel, and I would prefer to keep it that way." Lloyd responded, shifting slightly. "It's bad enough that they know my family name and that I can use 'some' magic; while they haven't raised a question about the name yet, they most likely think I'm a half-elf or something." He commented, rubbing his shoulders. Sheena tilted her head to one side, confused.

"Why is it bad for them to know your last name?" She asked, puzzled. "While it might be a problem over on _Tethe'alla, _I can only see a problem with that being because your family is supposedly diminished out of existence." She commented, recalling the book on old families from around the end of the Kharlan War, where she had caught sight of the name "Taka Aurion", which turned out to be Lloyd's grandfather.

"I don't know … Uncle Yuan didn't tell me why." Lloyd admitted, then looked at Sheena suspiciously. "Now how do you know that my family is thought to be gone over on Tethe'alla??" Sheena blushed, and pulled out a small scroll.

"I was doing a bit of snooping in the royal archives one day, and I stumble across your father's family. From there, I searched them up, and copied down what information they had; they have your father listed as MIA at twenty-one, never to be seen or heard from again." She admitted, and watched in worry as Lloyd raised his eyebrows and opened the scroll. His wine colored eyes widened, and he gaped.

"My dad … had FOUR SIBLINGS?! Holy crap …" Lloyd paused, and then started laughing at the heck his poor father had been put through growing up. "And he was the middle kid to boot …" Snickering still, Lloyd rolled up the scroll and stored it away; he'd look at it later. Right now, however, he wanted to talk with Sheena.

Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly. "And how have you been since we last talked, dear one?" He murmured, looking up at Sheena as she flushed brightly. He'd known he had fallen for her the week they had first met, and the years that had passed had only augmented his feelings for her. While he didn't know if she was ready to start anything, Lloyd knew that Sheena was close to him.

Ignoring the blush on her face, Sheena smiled weakly. "Apart from worrying myself half to death over you, I've been doing well; most of the villagers have shut up about the incident with Volt, and Kuchinawa's starting to loosen up around me." She explained, shifting closer so that she could rest her head on Lloyd's shoulder. Her eyes spotted the bracelet on Lloyd's wrist, and she reached out to touch it. "You haven't taken this off yet; it looks like it's made out of gold, and people will wonder why an orphan has something so valuable." She commented, watching as Lloyd wrapped his arms around her waist.

Gazing at the bracelet himself, Lloyd sighed, "I tried once – it burned my hand the moment I went to tug it off." He explained, rubbing the skin around it; it was slightly scarred, as if the bracelet was digging into his skin. "When I showed it to Uncle Yuan, he nearly jumped out of his skin and told me to never let someone try and take it. He seemed rather freaked, so I didn't ask why." Lloyd could feel the powerful mana contained within the bracelet, but he never once tried to tap into it; something about it demanded respect and reverence.

Noticing something for the first time, Lloyd stuck his hand into the wing pack. 'She's not in there …' he thought after a moment of searching, looking around the cavern once before asking Sheena, "Do you know where Leila is?" Sheena – who had been snuggling into Lloyd's body and savoring the warmth he let off – blinked and looked around.

"She was here earlier …" She commented, confused and worried at the same time. About to turn around and ask Lloyd if they should look for her, a startled – and very pissed – roar reached their ears.

"**FUCK!!!"** By saying that sole word, Leila managed to get across her emotions perfectly to Lloyd and Sheena, and the two were on their feet faster than one would think possible, their weapons in hand. Sheena glanced at Lloyd briefly, her spell cards seeming rather out of place when compared to Lloyd's blades. A second or so later, Leila launched into view, gold and white flames dripping from her nostrils as she turned and glared down the tunnel she had come from. **"I should've known something like this was waiting; they like dark places …"** She growled, never once bothering to take on her smaller shape.

"Leila, what's down there?" Lloyd asked, mildly worried at his companion's rage. Leila spared him a quick amethyst glance before she focused on the tunnel again.

"**You'll see soon."** Was all she said.

She was right, for not a moment later, a black, horned skeleton with arching black wings and a whip-like tail stalked into view, a different sword grasped in each of its four hands. Lloyd's eyebrows vanished beneath his bangs, and he looked the weapons over. 'One Claymore, one Zwihander, one sickle, and a Great Sword; oh crap.' He thought, resisting the urge to gulp in fear; individually, a Claymore, Great Sword, or a Zwihander was a pain to deal with, due to the fact that each of the aforementioned weapons was very heavy, and rather long. (The longest was the Zwihander at six and a half feet of steel and another two feet of hilt) Used all together, the three would prove quite challenging to face.

The sword skeleton stopped once he saw Lloyd and Sheena, and said in a gravelly voice, _**You … are you here to fight?? The scaly beastie … will be a challenge … but will you fight too??**_ It looked between Leila and the other two with empty eye sockets, the tail at its back twitching midly. Then, almost as if it had noticed Lloyd for the first time, stared at him; although it had no eyes, Lloyd could tell that it was becoming more and more disturbed.

Letting out a furious shriek, the skeleton suddenly brought down both the Claymore and the Zwihander towards Lloyd, who let out a startled cry and leapt back, his wings flaring into life. _**NO!! NOT ANOTHER ONE OF ERESHKIGAL'S DAMNED MESSENGERS!!!**_ It cried, lunging out more and more, forcing Lloyd to dodge every single one. _**I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO HELL UNTIL I FIND A GOOD, STRONG OPPONENT!!! YOU WILL NOT MAKE ME REST!!!**_

"Lloyd!!" Sheena cried out, running toward the demon and lashing out. "Pyre seal!!" The explosion of mana hit the beast in the ankle, and it stumbled, allowing Lloyd to leap away and use a Judgment spell. The demon shrieked again, and lashed out with the Zwihander again, which Lloyd rolled away from.

Unfortunately, the one it saw next happened to be Sheena. Malice radiated from its being as it straightened and swung the sickle at her, the curved blade whistling in the air. The kunoichi managed to backflip away before it cut her in two, but the shockwave that shot out when the sickle contacted with the passageway's floor hit her hard in the stomach. "AH!!" She gasped, falling to her knees as she tried to force air back into her battered lungs.

Lloyd – enraged – struck out at the demon with all of his might, but was stopped briefly when the edge of the Great Sword nicked at his thigh. He could feel the muscle directly beneath his skin being slashed, but he also felt what could only be described as malice ripping through his mana. It was a brutal pain that make him fall to his knees, fighting off the darkness that was attempting to rip through his being and render him immobile.

Leila, who had been pondering how to intervene, discarded any and all thought when Lloyd went to his knees. Although she hardly ever acted it, the dragon considered Lloyd every bit her own cub as any parent would, despite the difference in their species. And like any parent whose child was hurt, she was past angry. Roaring her fury, Leila leapt at the demon, flames flying from her maw as she tackled it to the ground, her ivory white claws tearing one arm off as the demon tried desperately to shove the dragon off of him.

Sheena used this brief lull to run over to where Lloyd knelt, a set of gels in her hand. "Lloyd, hang on!!" She cried, seeing how pale he was getting; that worried her, because he had simply been nicked in the leg. If it had been a thrust to the chest, she would've understood, but a simple cut like this?? Worried, she knelt and poured the first gel onto the wound.

Lloyd had only been aware of the pain until the gel hit his wound. Hissing, he cast a First Aid spell on Sheena as well as himself, feeling the damage the full attack had done. "It managed to drain most of my mana with that hit, Sheena; whatever this thing is, it's very dangerous." He commented, looking at the thing as it managed to throw Leila off of itself. The two titans backed up a few spaces, their immense size blocking any other monster from approaching.

Once again ready to fight, Lloyd grabbed both of his swords and charged at the demon, willing the holy mana that he had left in him to coat the blades; he had seen how the monster had reacted to his Judgment spell. Sheena was right behind him, and soon the two were attacking the monster with all they had, which had become slightly easier due to the fact that Leila had partially dismembered it, and the wings had been ripped into pieces.

For about fifteen minutes, the duo managed to batter the monster into a corner, but they were physically and mentally exhausted; Lloyd could barley use a Demon Fang attack, and Sheena had been forced to summon her Wind Guardian in order to aid them. As the two fell to their knees, Leila leapt over them and engaged the demon once more, gaining several gashes that bled emerald blood as she tore at the demon while it struck out at her.

"How … on earth … are we going to win??" Sheena panted after a moment, watching the way Leila protected them from the monster's attacks. Lloyd shook his head, mentally wracking his brains for any idea – any skill – that could be used against the demon before them.

**AWAKEN ME.** A voice thudded in Lloyd's mind; it was nearly as old as the power he had heard while walking towards the seal of Fire, but much more … potent. Wondering where the voice came from, Lloyd looked around before glancing down at the ground, his eyes widening at the sight of the bracelet; it was glowing. **AWAKEN ME, AND USE MY POWERS TO STOP THIS MONSTER …** The voice demanded, and Lloyd could feel the power of an inferno resting behind it.

Standing up with a grunt, Lloyd grasped his sword and drove his mind towards the mana radiating within the bracelet. Eyes locked on the demon as it threw Leila off of it once more, and grabbed the sole sword still in its possession – the Zwihander – and charged at the two mortals. Lloyd felt no fear as the power in the bracelet swarmed into his mind.

"Burn …" He whispered before leaping into the air above the demon, sword raised high above his head. Grasping it in both hands, he brought it down with a cry, "_Honō kōtei__!!"_ Flames that were an imperial gold and brilliant scarlet color erupted from the sword as it fell, forming the shape of the immense beast that had appeared with orange haired man from Lloyd's vision four years ago.

The demon shrieked in rage and fright at the sight of the flame beast, which roared and leapt at it, flames falling from its form as it rushed the demon. The instant contact was made, the flames consumed the black bones, turning them into ash within seconds. Once it was through, the beast turned and looked at Lloyd with eyes that were oddly solid, instead of the rippling flames that made up the rest of the seven foot tall beast.

With a nod of its head, the beast exploded into nothingness, and Lloyd – awed by what was sleeping inside the bracelet – fell onto its rear as a small burst of gold and scarlet flames rushed at his chest, and seemed to enter his skin upon contact. 'Wh – what the hell …??' he thought, placing his empty hand to the spot where the flame had entered.

_**YOU'LL DO …**_ The beast's voice echoed in his mind once more, and then fell silent, as if it had fallen back asleep again. Lloyd blinked, and then looked before him at the place where the demon once stood. In its place rested three items, ones that made Sheena gasp and race over to the circle of ash.

"The three imperial relics!!" She gasped, lifting up a mirror and staring at it. "These were said to have been lost to the Nabi no Naga years ago!!!! This is the Yata Mirror … this is the Yakasani jewel …" she picked up a small gem and tucked into her obi alongside the Yata Mirror, her hands resting on the sword that laid bare for the world to see. Sheena's eyes seemed to widen even more as she lifted it in both hands. "This … this is the Kusanagi sword …" She explained, holding reverently up for Lloyd and Leila to see.

Lloyd, impressed, walked forward and went to lift the sword from Sheena's hands, only to be shocked by a small course of lightning. "Ow …" he hissed, shaking his hand as he looked the blade over from where it laid in Sheena's hands. It was truly a marvelous blade, and it radiated with pure, uncorrupted mana. "How come it didn't shock you??" He asked Sheena who blushed and shrugged.

"**The Kusanagi sword is a sentimental blade, much like the War God's Firebrand."** Leila said sternly, shrinking and flying back over to them to land on Lloyd's shoulder, using the name that old stories from the Kharlan War had given Kratos in order to hid the full extent of her knowledge. If she let Lloyd know right away that Flamberge was made much like the Kusanagi, he wouldn't look for it. **"And unless I'm mistaken, it's taken a liking to you, Sheena. Unless you die – and maybe after that, even – nobody else can pick it up, let alone use it."**

Sheena looked at the sword in shock, and then at Leila. "I … I can't!!" She gasped, dropping the Kusanagi and backing away from the sword. "I … I have no sword skill at all, and … and …"

"**You'll learn quickly; the Kusanagi's stuck on you, so you better get used to it."** Leila commented drily, licking her wounds. **"Now be a good girl and pick up your sword before we do anything else; even if you leave it here, the sword will never leave you alone. It's a royal pain in the ass to fight, so live with it."** Seeing Sheena approach and pick up the sword again, the dragonet raised an eyebrow as an empty scabbard appeared across her back. **'Yep; it's really stuck on her. I wonder if she's a descendant …'** She thought, but didn't question it as Sheena stowed the Kusanagi in it. **"Right now, the only thing I'm curious about is how you managed to summon a H****onō****kōtei****, hatchling; those things are even rarer than I am."** Leila commented, making Lloyd and Sheena look at her.

Looking down at the bracelet, Lloyd shook his head and stared down at his right wrist; the bracelet was like it had been earlier, but he knew now that its looks were highly deceiving. "I … I don't know … I think it's asleep in the bracelet." He explained, and held up his wrist to look at it again. "… It was talking to me in my head, and it seems like if I need it, it will come … Wait …" Lloyd blinked, and then turned to Sheena. "Do you know what Honō kōtei means??"

"Yeah; it means "Flame Emperor"." She replied, looking at the remains of the demon. "Quite a fitting name, actually." She commented, and then looked at Leila and Lloyd again. She dropped, "I guess I should go report … I'm too tired to go after the Chosen again, and you look about ready to collapse …"

"Yeah … Let's get out of here." Lloyd agreed, and felt Leila grumble as she stalked back into the wing pack. When Sheena neared him, Lloyd reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, using her for support as he half limped, half walked down the hall. Summoning the Honō kōtei, along with the residue malice from the demon's swords still lingering in the fringes of his mana, was tiring him to no end.

Once they reached the exit, Leila simply stuck her head from the wing pack and burned the wooden barrier down, and then retreated. Lloyd and Sheena stood there for a few moments, before Lloyd turned to face Sheena. Locking his eyes with hers, he leaned down and kissed her once more, and sighed when she returned it. breaking away after a moment, he looked at her with love in his eyes. "Take care, alright? The next time we run across one another, I don't think there'll be another secret passage." He told her, and was rewarded with a light laugh.

"Alright … you take care as well, Lloyd." Sheena responded, kissing his cheek before pulling away. "Good bye …" She murmured, and then turned, using the shushin jutsu to leave the pass behind. Lloyd thought briefly that he was hallucinating, but he swore that he saw the face etched onto the Kusanagi's hilt wink at him. Blinking, Lloyd shook his head and sat beneath a tree, and sank down into his meditation to wait for the other three to arrive; he wanted to get to Izoold as soon as was physically possible, and to get to the Seal of Water soon.

Standing off to one side, watching over him, Kratos' spirit sighed and looked down at the ground. _So … the darkness has found you … Lloyd, be careful …_ he thought, looking at his son with worry in his ghostly eyes. _Someone precious to you is at a great risk, and if you aren't careful, it'll come for you as well …_

_This is only the beginning of the end, Lloyd; do not falter now …_

―鳳―

_Whew … finally done!!! XO X.X Sorry about the cliffhanger at the end, but I want to be evil and leave you hanging for what might happen. X3 _

_Oh, and as for translations,  
"Haa" – what?  
Matamata – you're kidding!!  
Fuzakennayo – you're fucking kidding me!!  
_

_XD, now do you see why Sheena-chan got smacked??_

_Oh, and expect to at least meet Dorr and the Chosen-posers next chapter …_

_And I have a reason for giving Sheena the Kusanagi blade …. X3 (yes I know it's supposed to be two swords in ToS, but in actual mythology, it's a double edged longsword)_

_Review, pleases!!!_


	13. Heading East

_Well, here we go!! Chapter thirteen, all set to be read!!! ^.^ You know what I don't own by this point!!_

**13. Heading East**

―鳳―

_(Seal of Water …)_

Perdeus sat cross-legged before the seal, his sea green eyes narrowed as he looked deep into the mana that was contained within the seal. He could see the sleeping form of Undine deep beneath the water's surface, and the look of pain on the water Spirit's face as the electric violet chains that wrapped around her tightened briefly, their invisible ends disappearing into the deep blue of the sea.

"So … Milady told me that … Master's descendant will be with the Chosen as well … this should be interesting …" Perdeus smirked to himself, staring at his bare feet as he waited for the flare of mana that he knew was to come as he spoke again, "Makes you wonder what their skills are like, doesn't it, Suigin??" At his question, an immense sea serpent rose from the river, looking Perdeus over with its slit-pupil, deep sea blue eyes.

Suigin was Perdeus' familiar, and the Water Guardian knew that if the Chosen One and her companions thought facing Serius and Kaibi was a challenge, they would be in for the fight of their lives against him and Suigin. Fortunately, each Guardian was allowed to choose their own test, and Perdeus had decided on his. The smirk on his face grew, and he chuckled lightly. "Well, Suigin, I guess all we have to do now is wait for the Chosen One to arrive." Perdeus said lightly, looking up at the sea serpent as it hissed and dove back under the water, lurking in the depths of the sea for those who were to come.

Perdeus smirked again, and he looked around the seal room once more. "I hope she doesn't keep me waiting long."

―鳳―

_(Ossa Pass)_

Raine looked around the pass as the sun reached mid-day, the bright light bleaching the walls. The walk up the pass had been interesting and yet tiring at the same time, making the half-elf realize just how much they needed Lloyd to help them out. 'The only problem I have with that is how much that boy feels like a disaster waiting to happen …' She thought, her eyes suddenly snagging onto a piece of red and grey fabric. "Oh – there's Lloyd!" She exclaimed in relief, and led the younger two down towards where the mercenary was resting.

When they reached him, they all stopped and stared; Lloyd looked like he'd been through a war. Blood stained his outfit, and Raine could clearly see the still open and slightly bleeding wounds that covered his chest and arms. "What on earth happened?" Raine asked herself, and went to go and pick up Lloyd when he stirred, face changing from one of blank emptiness to one of mild pain.

"Ow – guess I should take care of my injuries before …" Lloyd muttered to himself before looking up and spying Raine, Genis and Colette all staring at him in worry. Blinking, he commented, "Oh, you're here already." Stretching his arms above his head, Lloyd continued, "I take it the journey here wasn't too strenuous, elsewise you'd all be in a lot worse shape than you are now."

"It was arduous, but yes, we made it through alright." Raine replied, pulling out her staff as she examined the multiple wounds that covered Lloyd's body. "… Might I ask what happened to you in there?" Lloyd looked down at himself and shrugged.

"There was something rather nasty down there; it took a while, but I managed to fight it off." He said casually, as if it wasn't that much of a problem. Raine raised an eyebrow, but she didn't commented, and instead began to cast a First Aid spell, with Lloyd casting his own a moment later. Looking at Colette while he was doing so, the brunet asked, "Are you ready to head for Izoold today, Chosen, or would you like to stop and rest for a bit?"

Colette shook her head, and laughed lightly, "Nah, I'm okay; let's go to Izoold! Father's waiting at the next seal, after all." Her face became slightly shadowed at the mention of Remiel, and so Lloyd found himself questioning whether or not Colette truly believed the lie that Remiel had fed her about being her actual birth father. It wasn't true, after all; being the only _true_ angel descendant gave Lloyd some gloating rights within certain circles, but he never liked to boast.

Pushing the thought aside, Lloyd nodded, and stepped away from Raine once his wounds were in better condition than before. "Let's head out then; if we continue at a good pace, we'll reach Izoold in an hour and a half." The three others followed behind him, their eyes wary as they looked into the passageway that Lloyd had come out from.

_(Genis' PoV)  
I wonder what could've been down there that would do that much damage to Lloyd. I mean, I just met him, but I can tell that he's a lot stronger than he lets on. And his mana!! I've never known a human to have so much!! Perhaps that's why Forcystus mistook him for a half-elf in Iselia … but anyway, I need to remember to ask him something when we get to Izoold; I don't want to be a dragalong throughout the whole journey …_

_(Raine's PoV)  
Hmmm … Lloyd's hiding something; I can tell. The wounds he was bearing were far too severe for any normal boy his age to survive, even with an Exsphere equipped. Not only that, but he seemed rather startled that we arrived down here so quickly. And … and then there's the burn marks on the stone walls surrounding the opening; that Desian back near Triet said that he was a fire magic specialist, so perhaps he knows a high level fire spell. _

_I also am curious about that bracelet he wears on his right arm; it's full of mana, and while I don't know what the red metal is (it's far too rich to be copper), I have no doubt that the rest is gold. And not only that, but the skin around it seems to be scarred and burned from where the bracelet touches it._

_He is becoming more of an enigma every day … I wonder what all he has been hiding from the rest of us …_

_(Colette's PoV)  
It's … it's so odd; every time I look at Lloyd, I feel this pain in my chest … He's so sad, and yet he manages to keep going no matter how bad things get. No matter what happens, he always helps us out, even if he puts himself in more danger by doing so. And from what I've been hearing about his childhood … … He's just so strong. … I wonder if the ghost I saw at Dirk's place was his fa – _

"AH!!"

(_Normal PoV)  
_"Is there something wrong, Chosen??" Lloyd asked, his eyes narrowed in concern. Colette looked at him and shook her head feverously, trying to dissuade the brunet from questioning her shock.

"Ah hah ha … I thought I saw a monster … but it was just a bird – a swallow, actually!" She chirped, lying for perhaps the first time in her life. While the ghost that had appeared twice now did wear a swallow tailed cape, he was not a swallow himself. But since Colette did not know if the ghost was somehow aware of Lloyd, she didn't want to see the brunet mercenary looking. Glancing, she commented, "It's gone now …" Lloyd must've been convinced, because he shrugged blandly and walked off, his footsteps silent even on the gravel beneath their feet.

Once Raine and Genis had passed her as well, Colette glanced at the spot where she had seen the ghost again; he was back, red eyes locked mournfully on Lloyd's back. After a moment or so, he began to follow the three in front, before fading out of existence. Colette walked after him, her eyes wide as she figured it out once and for all.

'That man … he HAS to be Lloyd's father!' she told herself mentally, watching the brunet with wide eyes as they left the Ossa Pass behind them, heading for the small fishing town of Izoold a short ways off. 'They look too similar for them NOT to be; and … and he was so worried about Lloyd … He still is … But why hasn't Lloyd seen him yet?? Does he not know that his father is following him around?' She asked herself; for once in her life, Colette found no answer inside of herself. 'Oh, Goddess Martel, please … I want to know what's going on with Lloyd …'

―鳳―

(Renegade base …)

Yuan looked up at Botta as the brunet half-elf entered his office. "So … how are things going today?" He asked mildly, flipping through a book that he kept in his desk when he needed a break. Botta looked around the office, and then back at his commander.

"Sheena hasn't come back to report on the Chosen, has she?" He asked after a moment, to which Yuan shook his head. Putting down his book, the cobalt looked at a watch that he wore on his wrist, frowning faintly. "No, she hasn't – she was supposed to come in at no – … Did you just hear that?" He asked abruptly, looking at Botta with a sense of dread hanging over him. Botta nodded, and a second later, backed away from the door he had just entered, coming over to stand by Yuan.

Just as he did so, a wave of rather vicious KI entered the room, and a second later, the door opened to admit Sheena. Yuan saw the Kusanagi blade and shivered, but even he had to blank when he saw the dangerously sweet smile on her face. He had seen Leila give such a smile on a couple of occasions, and it scared him shitless. "He – hello, Sheena …" He said, trying to hide the shivers that were creeping up his spine; he should've known this was coming. "I take it you and Lloyd met …"

"Yes, we did." Sheena said sweetly, her smile not vanishing. Her hands mercifully remained at her sides, and didn't reach up to grasp the hilt of the Kusanagi blade. "I would've appreciated knowing that he was with the Chosen, I hope you know - it would make things a lot less ... awkward." There was no doubt in Yuan's mind that Sheena was angry. "I also would've preferred a better answer than "Out" when I asked where Lloyd was." Sheena commented casually, but her tone and smile only made the two half-elves back up a few feet in worry.

"If I had said anything else, would you have gone after the Chosen's group?" Yuan asked tentatively, not really wanting to anger the girl any more than he already had. "You know how Lloyd is – he wouldn't kill you even if I asked him too." Desperate to change the subject, he pointed at the Kusanagi sword. "Where'd you get that?? I don't think they use dual edged swords in Mizuho." Sheena seemed to deflate from her rage at the question, because she nodded and drew the Kusanagi from its scabbard.

"Lloyd and I got into a fight with a _tsurugi no akuma _beneath the Ossa trail. After we defeated it, the Imperial relics fell from the remains." She explained, looking over the edge of the silvered steel with awe. "Leila said that it was attached to me, like the Firebrand in the old legends of the Kharlan war." Yuan inwardly flinched at the mention of Flamberge, and made a mental note to look up the history of magical weapons; if there were references to Flamberge in Tethe'allan mythology, then things were going to get dicey. "By the way … is Lloyd's family weak against infernal power or something?" Sheena's next question was unusual, so both Botta and Yuan stared at her.

"I don't know myself, why?" Yuan responded, curious.

"Well … one of the demon's attacks hit him, and it was just a nick in the leg …" Sheena began, looking down at the floor, the Kusanagi still in hand. "But he was acting like it was a hit to the chest."

"Now that you have mentioned it …" Botta spoke quietly, looking at them both. "Lord Yuan, do you remember that one bizarre weapon we found in the Gaorroacha Forest?" Yuan's eyes went wide.

"Yes, I do; Fenrir was its name, if I recall …" The cobalt seemed to be pondering something, so Sheena didn't speak up to ask what he meant. "So … what Verius told me was true …" He muttered, shaking his head. "God damn … Ereshkigal could've given a bit more of a warning that the barrier was so weak …"

"A barrier?" Sheena asked, puzzled. Yuan looked up at her and sighed.

"Basically, there is a barrier between our plane and the plane where the demons live. According to legend, it was formed by a pact between Ereshkigal and a legendary swordsmaster." He explained, drumming his fingers on the top of his desk. "But recently, the barrier has been weakening for unknown reasons. That sword demon you and Lloyd fought must've been one of the few demons strong enough to get through the barrier; even if it is weakening, the barrier can still keep most of the demons you would see in Niflheim at bay."

Sheena seemed to relax slightly. "Okay, that's a relief; if it hadn't been for Leila, I don't think we would've lived. Now that I know it was a high leveled demon, I'm not so worried." She admitted, replacing the Kusanagi in its scabbard. "So … what am I to do now?" She asked; Yuan looked to Botta.

The brunet half-elf nodded. "Well, if you are up to it, we would like you to at least badger the Chosen's group for a while longer." He ordered, to which Sheena nodded. "You don't have to actually kill her, but act like you mean business; the other three with Lloyd don't know that he is with us. They only known him as the Phoenix of Luin, and if it is at all possible, it would be best to keep the situation like that."

"Alright then; I guess I should head out then." Sheena nodded, and then stopped and turned again, that sickeningly sweet smile back in place. "Oh, and by the way, there's a small _sanbi no kitsune_ running around the mess hall; you might want to catch him before it's too late." She said simply, walking out of the room, a little sway to her hips. Yuan thought about the statement for a moment, and then groaned loudly.

"Remind me to never get Sheena angry again; I really don't like having to chase Corrine around …" He muttered darkly, face-palming. Botta had to nod in agreement. However, in the back of Yuan's mind, he made a mental note to go and speak with Ereshkigal as soon as he was able; there was something big going on, and from the way Sheena was talking, Lloyd was dab smack in the middle of the whole thing.

―鳳―

_(Izoold)_

"Hey, Lloyd, can I ask you something?" Genis asked the brunet swordsman, who was lounging about on one of the beds in their inn room. They had arrived at Izoold in the middle of the afternoon, and had decided to stay the night. Fortunately, Lloyd's wandering about as a mercenary had been a rather good thing, because he knew the mayor's son, Max, on a close note. He had talked with the young man, and had managed to get them a ride across the ocean to Palmacosta the next morning.

"Mm??" Lloyd responded to Genis' question, looking over at the younger half-elf lazily. There was a bored look to his wine colored eyes. Genis looked at the floor briefly before drawing a deep breath.

"I … I was wondering if …" He began, not knowing why he was so nervous about talking to Lloyd; he didn't know if it was because of the utterly neutral attitude that Lloyd possessed of if it was because of his blood colored eyes, but talking to him was slightly disconcerting. "I've been thinking, and after a while, I …"

"Just spit it out, Genis; I'm not going to bite." Lloyd said frankly, rolling over so that he was lying on one side, facing Genis. The half-elf flinched at that, because he had been worried about that for some reason.

"Do you think you can … teach me some swordplay?" Genis asked in a small voice; Lloyd simply stared. "I – I know it's not something you usually hear, but while we were on the Ossa Pass, a couple of the monsters managed to hurt us really bad. Without you, we don't have a melee fighter, which leaves us pretty vulnerable …" The half-elf rambled, only to stop when he heard Lloyd laughing lightly.

"You were worried about asking me something like that, Genis?" He asked after a moment, still chuckling. Rising, he walked over to where Genis sat near the window. Looking the half-elf over, he commented, "Well, if you want to start, we should go now; it's your turn to cook dinner, after all." With that, he stood and grabbed his swords before heading outside. It took Genis a moment to actually comprehend that Lloyd had said yes to his question.

"Are you coming or not?!" Lloyd asked, making Genis jump to his feet and run outside. In a small clearing, Lloyd was digging through the backpack that he carried with him. Not even bothering to look up when the young half-elf entered the area, he simply said, "_Suwaru._" Although the word was foreign sounding, Genis figured that he meant sit down, and did so. After a moment, Lloyd explained, "Now, seeing as how you're only twelve – and not very physically powerful, I will tell you – the first real major thing we need to do is pick out a sword that suits you." As he spoke, he drew out a small dagger, what appeared to be a smaller version of Lloyd's swords, and a thin, flexible sword that was only three feet long from pommel to tip.

"Wow … why do you have all of these on hand?" Genis asked after a moment, looking up at Lloyd in curiosity. The brunet shrugged.

"You never know when they might come in handy …" he said simply, and then looked at Genis. "Well, I might as well give you the pros and cons for each weapon; you seem like the type of person who will only choose once you have all of the details of what you're about to do." He commented, making the half-elf laugh lightly. "Well, the first one is a stiletto – those are good for thrusting attacks, but they're rather short, and not all that good when it comes to defense. This next one," he picked up the mini version of his swords, "is a _kodachi._ They're good with slash and cut attacks, but they have mediocre thrusting skills. The plus is that they've one dull edge, so you can block without getting the blade chipped."

"Is that why you use similar swords?" Genis asked, to which Lloyd laughed and nodded. "Well, that really is practical … what's the third sword?" He pointed to the thin blade. Lloyd looked at it as well.

"That's a rapier; they're also good with thrusting attacks. Unlike the stiletto, it has a good defense, but it's rather fragile." He commented, picking up the thin sword. "The reason I grabbed this one as well was because it's rather on the short side; can't have you tripping over your weapon, after all." The statement made Genis laugh. After he was through, the brunet sat back and let Genis pick out what type of weapon he wanted to use. Much to his surprise, Genis chose the use the kodachi. "Alright then," Lloyd said as he tucked the stiletto and rapier away and shoved the pack they were in aside.

Standing, he drew one of his swords. Genis, sensing that Lloyd was ready to start, stood up as well, kodachi in his hand. Lloyd didn't waste any time, and charged, forcing Genis to raise the sword in his hands in a block. The hit jarred his teeth, and Genis began to wonder if there was something that had muddled up his judgment when he had asked for these lessons; Lloyd was a heck of a lot stronger than he was.

Raine found the two like that a half hour later, and at first wanted to pound in Genis' skull for doing something so reckless. She held the thought in check, and instead retreated back into the room that she and Colette were sharing again, pulling out the notebook that she kept her notes on Lloyd in.

_Subject entry #4_

_Lloyd ... is an enigma that grows bigger every single day. He never seems to smile, nor show signs of most emotions, and yet he has a gentle heart, from what I have been seeing. That is what sets me on edge the most; if he does turn on us at some point, then I do not think that either Colette or Genis would see it coming. And although I had hoped that they would at least heed some of my words and be cautious around him, it seems that for once, it's gone in one ear and right out the other._

_Genis, at least, is trying to learn something from him. I never thought that my little brother would want to learn swordplay of any sort, but I suppose with the Journey being as perilous as it is, he made a good choice. Lloyd seems to be a steady person to learn from, if he is a bit brusque with how he handles what he is doing. He seems to be self-taught, and for someone of his youth, his skills are far better than should be normal._

_Colette … I worry about her. It's clear that she's falling for him, slowly but surely. And although we've only known him for little over a half a month, something about Lloyd shows that he does not really care for her apart from being her bodyguard. If she isn't too careful, I'm worried that Colette will only get her heart broken in the long run._

_And as for myself … I am confused. There is so little that we know about him, so little that we can use if he tries to turn against us. Hopefully there will be some more information available to me once we reach Palmacosta … or perhaps Luin …_

Closing the book, Raine stowed it away and went to the practice field to tell the boys to clean up and start preparing dinner.

―鳳―

A week later, the ports of Palmacosta were visible. The four had piled onto Max's boat with mixed emotions, ready to head out for the next seal. Raine had clung to the mast the entire trip while Lloyd and Max talked about the fishing conditions and something about the Remote Island Human ranch, but she couldn't truly hear what. Genis and Colette had been looking at the vast, open waters of the ocean, marveling at the fish that swam beneath the boat with loud exclamations.

They had also watched Lloyd do some fishing off the side of the ship; once again, Raine's respect for the brunet's practical skills increased, but so did her worry about what would happen if things went wrong. Lloyd was obviously able to survive no matter what happened, and while she didn't doubt that he would look after them if something bad did happen, there was no telling how long that he could support them, regardless of how little he ate.

They were passing through the town towards the plaza when a group of four people came towards them, chattering away about something. Colette didn't see them in time, and she ran right into the girl in front. Like she usually did, the blond Chosen fell backwards onto her rump, the girl she had run into falling the opposite way. There was a loud shattering noise as a bottle of what seemed to be alcohol fell out of her pack and shattered on the stone road. "Ahh!! The Palma Potion we received!" The girl cried out, standing hastily.

Colette stood and backed away. "I – I'm sorry!! I'll go get -" She began, only to be cut off as the large man that was with the others stepped forward, a dangerous look on his face.

"Don't you know how expensive that stuff is, girl?" He demanded, growling. Colette blinked and stepped back a few paces, but he followed her, raising an arm as he did so. Before he could swing, however, Lloyd appeared between him and Colette, holding the raised arm in his left hand, glaring; unless Raine was imagining it, the temperature had dropped slightly, the atmosphere growing far more tense than was naturally right. People around them were stopping to watch, whispering amongst one another as a blond man in his forties exited the town hall, followed by several armed guards.

"Palma Potion costs 1,000 Gald a bottle, you _oobakamono_." Lloyd stated coldly, eyes flashing dangerously in the mid-day light. "You can get a bottle at almost every store the bloody city, so there's no real reason to pitch a fit over an accident. _Especially _when the Chosen's apologized." He added as a deliberate afterthought.

"**Lloyd, what the hell are you up to?" ** Leila demanded mentally, feeling the tension spike. **"... Don't tell me that they're ..."** She tapered off, and then Lloyd could almost see her smirking deadly as she stated smugly, **"Oh, they are going DOWN."** Lloyd scowled instead of smirked, but one could tell that he had just stumbled upon something useful.

"So ... that's it." He said simply at first, looking at the girl in the rear. "We've got a group of _Nisemono _on hand, it seems." There was a deadly undercurrent to his voice, and as he spoke, he began to put pressure on the captive arm. "Now ... going by what my gut is telling me – and by the obviously confused and angry civilians around us – I'll assume that you and your friends ... are trying to pass off as the Chosen of Mana and her group of friends. _Soudesuka?"_ The last word cracked out like a whip, and one could almost see a malevolent aura come off of Lloyd. The man he held captive looked like he was about to tell Lloyd a lie, because the brunet leaned in again.

"Do not try to lie, baka. You will not like me if you lie." He said simply, malice and KI leaking into his voice. Even Raine shuddered at the sound of Lloyd's voice taking on such a harsh tone, and if it weren't for the fact that the group had it coming to them, she would've apologized for Lloyd's actions. 'But ... at the same time, I must admit that this is quite impressive.' She told herself, watching in admiration as the false Chosen and her friends all started to sweat. 'He's using their obvious fear to his advantage, and with all of the mental strain he's clearly putting them through … I wouldn't be shocked to see Lloyd in charge of an interrogation force.' The man in Lloyd's grasp looked like he was nearly shitting himself. Lloyd leaned in again, using his scant inch and a half of height more of height to his advantage. "Well ...??"

Rapidly, the man nodded, trembling; Raine honestly couldn't blame him in the slightest. Gazing into Lloyd's eyes when he glared was frighteningly hypnotizing, the blood red depths not letting you go. And the way Lloyd was speaking to him was enough to make his companions tremble briefly, making mental notes never to get him this angry again.

Around them, the civilians were muttering with one another, glaring at the eight people in the plaza. Lloyd must've noticed this, because he laughed darkly. "Seems the cityfolk still need convincing ..." There was obvious annoyance in his voice, and the glares he sent silenced many people in an instant. Colette looked at Lloyd, who nodded slightly; smiling, the Chosen walked towards him, her fuchsia wings blinking into life.

"Lloyd, please ..." She said softly, attempting to pull her bodyguard's arm off of the imposter. "Let the police handle it, okay?? We really should find a place to rest for the night; the Professor looks ready to fall asleep on her feet." There were several startled gasps and a couple of whispers of 'an angel!' throughout the plaza, and Lloyd could just see the blond man – the Governor-General Dorr – walking towards the group in the plaza, a few of the city's militia behind him.

He still did not remove his grip. "My apologies, Chosen …" He began, never tearing his gaze from the group in front of him. " … But liars that steal from their kin make me want to _kill_ something." A collective shiver went down everyone's spines, and one could almost see the bottomless fury contained within his eyes. Colette sighed and shook her head, tugging on Lloyd's arm again. As much as she liked Lloyd, she needed to get the brunet away from the imposters, lest he carry through with his threat.

Fortunately, Dorr reached them at that moment, and he stopped to stare at Lloyd for a couple of moments. After a moment, he stepped back a pace and glared at the group of imposters. "Well, not only does it seem that they lied about being the Chosen's group, this group of fools managed to antagonize the Phoenix of Luin." He commented, eyes flickering over to Lloyd briefly. The four paled rapidly after that, and the one held in Lloyd's grasp tried desperately to break away.

After a few moments, the guards held the imposters still, and Lloyd finally released his captive. "You're getting slow, Dorr." He said flatly, looking coldly at the blond man. Dorr winced, and sighed.

"We had heard that the Chosen's group was heading this way, and word that you were traveling with her had yet to reach us." The Governor-General said apologetically, shaking his head. "If we had found out about it, we would have locked this group up immediately, Phoenix." There seemed to be a touch of respect for Lloyd in Dorr's voice, which Raine took note of; if someone as powerful as the Governor-General of Palmacosta talked to him with such respect, then if he rebelled, there would be much trouble.

Lloyd simply shrugged, rolling his eyes. "It matters little, Dorr." he said softly, glaring once again at the imposters. "As long as they learn their lesson, I will have little to complain about." Turning around, he strode towards Raine and Genis, "We should head for the inn; it will be a three day trek to the Thoda Dock from here." He stated, strolling on towards the inn.

Colette's eyes followed her bodyguard's retreating back, sighing; and here she thought that he would at least relax a bit ... About to turn and follow him, Raine walked up beside her and asked Dorr, "You called Lloyd 'Phoenix'?"

"Yes ... He has earned that name on numerous occasions." Dorr looked after Lloyd's retreating back with worry obvious in his eyes. "If he has arrived, then there is little doubt that perhaps, there will be peace here, if only for one night." Pulling out a worn, battered book, Dorr handed it to Colette slowly. "This is the Book of Spiritua; it rightfully belongs to the Chosen." Colette nodded and smiled at him, and tucked her wings away before she turned and followed Lloyd, humming; Genis followed soon after her.

Raine stayed there for a moment, talking with the various people around the city. Once the sun began to set behind the last of the houses, however, she turned and walked back to the inn, her mind in a whirl; there was so much more to Lloyd than she had thought possible, but yet, she still did not know everything … Entering the room that she and Colette were sharing, she instantly pulled out the "Phoenix Log" as she had dubbed it, and began to write furiously.

_Subject log #5_

_I must write this down now because I don't believe I will not be able to rest easily otherwise. Lloyd …now I am very concerned about him. With the way he acted in the city's plaza, I was instantly concerned about becoming the victim of that wrath. He does not seem like one who will give mercy easily. But what I had heard after that is what really disturbs me._

_He made his first kill at _seven_._

_That's five years younger than my brother._

_For ten years … Lloyd's been living by the blade for ten years, and yet he is still mentally stable …I hope. If he isn't … then one day … we just might be the ones with our throats cut open._

_... I pray that he does not turn on us._

Putting the log back, Raine rolled onto her side and stared out the window, her thoughts working on ways to protect the younger group members if Lloyd did indeed turn on them; sadly the only ones she could think of were both unrealistic and impossible. Sighing, the half-elf fell asleep, wondering if there was anything that could stop the feelings of fear in her stomach.

―鳳―

_Heh heh … wow, I managed to get all that I wanted in here without having to cut it in half!!! ^O^ Next chapter's the Seal of Water!!! (I'll post Perdeus' profile then) XD Expect another sheelloyd scene as well!! _

_Translations_

_Tsurugi no akuma - sword demon  
sanbi no kitsune - three-tailed fox  
Suwaru - Sit  
__oobakamon - you great fool  
__Nisemono - imposters  
Soudesuka - is that right_


	14. Fuuin no Mizu

_Heh, heh ... Here's the next chapter!!! Fight with Perdeus within!! XDD I own Perdeus, Suigin, and Leila only~~!_

**14. Fuuin no Mizu**

―鳳―

It was later in the evening, and Lloyd found himself standing out near the ocean, watching it lap against the stone walkways that permeated the city. There was a mildly troubled expression on his face, and as he stared out across the water, one could almost see a weary aura surround the brunet as his wine red eyes scanned the water.

Something was happening, Lloyd knew it; something far larger and far more dangerous than anything anybody on either Sylvarant or Tethe'alla could ever imagine. Hell, he doubted that even Yggdrasil would be able to fathom how large whatever was going was … even if he didn't know what it was, Lloyd could feel something in his mind shift in growing unease, waiting for the storm that was clearly approaching to come and roll over the worlds, relieving the tension that was building up in the air.

Lloyd sighed, and was about to head back to the inn when a pair of slender, feminine arms wrapped around his waist, making him smile softly. "Hey, you," He murmured gently, covering the clasped hands with one of his own. "What're you doing here so late at night?" His companion smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder, her breath soft and warm against him.

"I wanted to see you again." Sheena whispered softly, standing as close to Lloyd as she could get. She loved the warmth that his body let off, as if his fiery mana itself was keeping him warm from the inside. Lloyd twisted in Sheena's arms so that they were facing one another, a smile on his face as he tilted her chin up so they could lock eyes. In the light of the moon, Sheena's normally honey brown eyes were almost a shade of gold, the silver light from above reflecting in their depths. Smiling shyly, the kunoichi asked, "Is … there something wrong with that?"

Lloyd shook his head. "As long as the Chosen or her friends aren't around, I'm happy with it." He replied, glancing at the inn with an annoyed glance. "True, Genis isn't _so_ bad, but his sister and the Chosen herself really wear on my nerves. Especially Raine …" He muttered out the last word, eyes closing in annoyance. Sheena sighed and shook her head, her blackish-purple hair ticking Lloyd's hypersensitive skin. "I think she's trying to figure out who I am exactly." On impulse, Lloyd began to stroke Sheena's cheek with his hand, feeling her shiver from the ocean chill.

Smiling, Sheena tilted her face up to look deep into Lloyd's eyes. "Heh ... she's in for quite the challenge then." She commented, and was rewarded with a quick kiss and a chuckle. She knew that Lloyd was not going to make his identity easy to unearth, and even if Raine did find out something that made everything obvious, Sheena didn't doubt that the half-elf would have either a heart attack or an apoplexy from the sheer shock of the situation.

After all, how often was someone under the guard of a renegade angel?

Lloyd looked back down at Sheena and smiled deeply, his red eyes dancing. "And I don't think I'm making it any easier myself; she's been pestering me recently about where I grew up." He admitted, shifting so he could wrap his own arms around Sheena, a chuckle working its way out of his throat. "We'll be starting towards the Seal of Water tomorrow; are you going to follow us and attack again?" He asked, worried.

Sheena seemed to think for a moment, and then nodded softly. "Yeah … but not just because I need to "attack" the Chosen, but a friend of mine …" She tapered off, making Lloyd tilt his head to one side.

"Hmm??" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Tilting Sheena's face towards his, he asked softly, "What's wrong, Shee?? You're normally not this timid." Sheena looked up at him with a sigh.

"A ranch escapee helped me out a while ago, and I recently found out that he was in need of serious healing. There's supposed to be a unicorn living on a lake near Luin, but the only way to reach it would be to summon Undine …" Sheena's voice tapered off again, and Lloyd sighed softly and wrapped his arms around her; ever since the encounter with Volt, Sheena had been frightened by her own powers, let alone the spirits themselves. Smiling softly, Lloyd leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"I'll try to help you with the Spirit, if I can get away for a good amount of time." Lloyd assured her, blinking slowly. "I might not be able to do so, but if I can, I will. ... I promise." Sheena smiled up at him for that, and she buried her fingers in his hair as she slowly stood on tiptoe to kiss him tenderly on the lips, savoring the moment of closeness that they had managed to obtain, which would most likely be last one they had for who knows how long.

Pulling away, Sheena smiled softly at him. "Thanks ... even if you aren't there, the fact that you're rooting for me will make me feel better." Lloyd smiled as well, running a hand through Sheena's hair; there was nothing else he needed to say right at that moment in time, because it had already been said. Instead, the two leaned in to kiss again.

Off to one side, Corrine and Leila watched the scene. After a moment, both the fox and the dragonet looked at one another, grinning wickedly, and at once began singing, "~_'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling/ and every time we kiss I swear I can fly/ can you feel my heart beat fast?/ I want this to last~"_

"LEILA!"

"CORRINE!" Both Sheena and Lloyd were glaring at the two, blushes dominating their faces. Corrine and Leila took one look at the two and nearly collapsed from laughter. Sheena spluttered something, while Lloyd simply glared at the two, muttering curses under his breath before slowly pulling away from the beautiful kunoichi. Looking at the Kusanagi blade, Lloyd asked, "You practice with that thing at all since we last met?" Sheena looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"Yeah ... I still prefer my cards though." She admitted, before beckoning to Corrine. The kitsune leapt to her shoulder, and Leila glided in the air to land lightly on Lloyd's shoulder. Looking at the swordsman one last time, Sheena smiled sweetly and kissed him on the cheek. "Until next time, then, _koi._" She whispered, and was rewarded by a feather soft kiss on the forehead.

"Don't let the ruffians get to you, Sheena; hit them in the groin, and they yelp like dogs and run." He commented, smiling sadly as Sheena laughed and began to walk away, her pink obi fluttering behind her.

"**coughWhippedcough**," Leila teased once more; Lloyd shook his head in annoyance, but didn't bother to retort. Instead, he walked back towards the inn, his thoughts preoccupied with how they were going to fight against the Guardian of Water, whoever it was – or whatever, for that matter …

―鳳―

(???)

Suzaku stood before a towering shrine in her true form, the building dwarfing even her as she stared up at the statuette that was housed within the structure. _**SOON, DARK ONE **__..._ She cursed, eyes narrowed**. **_**SOON, YOU WILL BE GONE FROM THIS PLANE; WHILE YOUR WARS AND YOUR DARKNESS MIGHT REMAIN, THERE WILL BE LITTLE FOR YOU TO CONTROL ONCE THE PHOENIX HAS FOUND WHERE YOU DWELL.**_

_AH ... FIERY, BOLD SUZAKU, YOU HAVEN'T CHANGE._ A deep voice responded, chuckling darkly. Suzaku's eyes widened slightly at the voice, and her tail feathers began to swish behind her. _I KNOW WHAT YOUR DESCENDANT WILL DO TO ME ONCE I FIND HIM ... I FEAR IT NOT. I LOST THE FEAR OF YOU AND YOUR BLOOD THE MOMENT THE FIRST PHOENIX DIED. THE BORDER IS BREAKING, AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT ANGEL'S BASTARD CAN DO TO STOP ME._

_**YOU MOCK HIM ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT MET HIM.**_Suzaku countered, flames flickering in the air about her. _**IF YOU HAD MET HIM, YOU WOULD FEAR HIM, DARK ONE. EVEN YGGDRASIL WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO DEFEAT HIM IN OPEN COMBAT.**_

_I AM NOT MITHOS._ The voice said smoothly, and there was a smug sneer in its depths. _WHILE THAT ANGEL MIGHT CLAIM TO BE THE FORCE BEHIND CRUXIS, IF I SIMPLY IGNORED HIS PRESENCE, HE WOULD FALL. I COULD EASILY OVERTAKE HIM ... LIKE I DID NEBLIEM AND THAT FOOLISH WARRIOR WHO DEFEATED HIM, RAMAN._ After a moment of silence, the voice let out a second deep chuckle. _AND THAT IS ONLY THE LEAST OF WHICH I CAN DO; YOU KNOW THAT AS WELL, SUZAKU; IF YOU AND YOUR SISTER AND BROTHERS HAD NOT INTERFERED, THEN SHADOW WOULD STILL BE UNDER MY CONTROL._

_**SHADOW BROKE FREE UNDER HIS OWN POWER, DARK ONE. WE HAD ONLY A SLIGHT HAND IN RELEASING HIM FROM YOUR SEAL. **_Suzaku hissed, extending her wings to reveal the flames beneath them._**DO NOT BRING ONE OF ORIGIN'S WARRIORS BACK INTO YOUR SQUABBLES; WHEN YOU AND THE PHOENIX DID BATTLE SO MANY CENTURIES AGO, SHADOW GAVE HIS POWERS TO THE SOUL OF DARKNESS, TO 'ECLIPSE'.**_

_DO NOT NAME THAT WEAPON IN FRONT OF ME!_

_**I CAN DO WHAT I WILL, DARK ONE; YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER ME. **_Smugness crept into Suzaku's voice, and she slowly raised one taloned foot to draw in the air, white flames following behind her claw._** AND FOR RIGHT NOW, I CAN RESTRAIN YOU; THIS IS **_**MY**_** DOMAIN. **_Before the voice could protest once again, a seal writ in blazing flames surrounded the statuette, and the voice went quiet after admitting one last, furious yell. Suzaku stared at the statuette once again before turning her back, a worried look in her vermilion eyes. _**THE DARK ONE IS GROWING STRONGER; THAT SEAL WILL NOT HOLD FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, IF THAT. I PRAY THAT THE PHOENIX IS READY BY THEN …**_

―鳳―

(Thoda)

Lloyd looked over his shoulder from the washtub he was in, checking on the Sage siblings while Colette paddled beside him. They were heading for the Thoda Geyser, and the Seal of Water. But, in order to reach the Geyser, they had needed to go to the Thoda Dock first; it wasn't until after they had paid to go over to the geyser that the figured out that they had been gipped.

_-flashback-_

_Lloyd walked down the edge of the Thoda Dock, stopping when he saw the transportation that the group had been provided with. "... Washtubs?" He asked, voice bland. Genis looked as well and nodded._

"_Yeah, those are washtubs." The half-elf confirmed Lloyd's statement, shaking his head. Over the past few days, Genis had begun to understand Lloyd's personality, and as much as Raine hated it, had begun to adopt some of the brunet's habits; so far, it was only the occasional sarcastic comment, so perhaps there was some hope. Sighing, the two males in the group looked around as Colette joined them._

_"Wow! This looks like it should be fun!" Colette giggled, earning a pair of very blank stares. Raine had looked at the washtubs in worry, and she had begun to back up away from the washtubs when Lloyd and Genis turned to look at her. "I … I'll just go on and wait here …" Raine began, backing away even faster, only to stop as the three younger travelers all looked at her._

"_What's wrong, Professor?" Colette asked, still smiling her smile as she walked towards Raine. "Doesn't this look like it'll be fun?!"_

"_Th – those things look like they'll tip easily!" Raine replied, face ashen. Lloyd cocked an eyebrow at her as Genis ran forward and tugged on his sister's wrist._

"_Come on, Raine, we'll be perfectly fine!" He tried to reassure her as the elder half-elf dug her heels in. Raine shook her head frantically, not wanting to get in the washtub, and finally let a noise escape her mouth; "Aaah!"_

_The three with her stared; Colette looked utterly lost, Genis seemed shocked that his sister could make such a noise, and Lloyd just stared her, the corner of one of his eyes twitching ever so slightly from the shock. Raine looked at all of them and flushed brightly, highly embarrassed as she tugged her wrist out of Genis' hand._

"… '_Aaah?'" Lloyd quoted after a moment, startled. "You aren't … hydrophobic, are you?" Raine looked at him and shook her head again, denying it with all of the energy she could muster._

"_I was just about to say, 'aah, this should be fun'." And with that, Raine walked forward with forced determination and settled herself in one of the washtubs. Genis and Colette looked at her, both of them lost; Lloyd let out a dark chuckle, shaking his head; that woman could be so stubborn sometimes …_

_-flashback kai!-_

Shaking his head at the memory, Lloyd's eyes focused on the Thoda Geyser as the tub he and Colette were drifted closer to the dock; tiny or not, the washtubs proved to be a rather efficient way to cross the expanse of water between the mainland and the distant island. He'd been to Thoda once before with his parents, as they had chosen the small place to hide briefly from K'var's men. It would be interesting to see how one was to access the Seal of Water; he was also anxious and excited over meeting the Water Guardian. If they were anything like the Fire Guardian, then perhaps things would be a tad more interesting than he had originally feared.

A half-hour later, the washtub bumped up against the dock. Quickly grabbing a nearby post, Lloyd secured the vessel to the dock and held it steady as Colette clambered out, waiting to see if he would have to dive into the water should she slip and fall. Thankfully, Colette was up and on the deck, allowing her bodyguard to scramble up as well. It wasn't a few minutes later that Genis and Raine drifted into view, Raine clinging tightly to the rim of their washtub as Genis navigated the tub towards the dock.

As soon as Lloyd had their washtub steady, Genis put the paddle in the bottom of the tub and leapt onto the dock. Lloyd had the washtub tied up and was waiting for Raine to get out; the half-elf crawled from the wooden vessel with a sickly face, a sigh of relief leaving her. "Never … again …" She insisted, trembling as she stood up. Lloyd looked at her and grinned wickedly.

"Are you saying that you wish to be left here after we release the seal, Miss Raine?" He teased, standing and brushing dirt off of his pants. Seeing Raine's flustered look, he laughed and walked up the length of the dock to reach the slab of stone before the geyser. Colette and Genis followed him at a ready pace, while Raine walked behind them, glaring at Lloyd's back with surprising venom. She was ignored, and with the sight of the sun being rather low in the sky, set about preparing camp for herself and the others while Colette began to cook. There was still some space between them and the geyser, so Genis followed Lloyd off a ways to practice with the small kodachi. While he did still prefer the feel of his kendama when using magic, there was something about using a sword that made the young half-elf feel at least a bit stronger.

Even if it meant he always got his rear dumped on the ground for doing something stupid; if he made a mistake, Lloyd would do exactly what any competent opponent would do, and took advantage of the weakness. Although it hurt both his body and his pride, Genis decided that in the end, things would turn out better than if Lloyd didn't take advantage of it. Brushing off the seat of his pants for perhaps the fifth time that hour, Genis finally looked at Lloyd and asked, "Why … aren't you … as tired as … I am?"

"Longer endurance, higher physical strength …" Lloyd began, before flashing Genis a sadistic grin. "And I've managed to remain standing on my feet, unlike you, rookie." Genis' eye twitched at being called a rookie, and without thinking, lashed out at Lloyd, forcing mana through the kodachi. A small blade of wind shot out as well, which Lloyd dodged artfully, arching an eyebrow. "Well, that's impressive; wind mana." He commented, making Genis stare at him; feeling the need to explain, Lloyd said simply, "Everything has an element that it's most in tune with; it's just easier for elves and half-elves to tap into that power than humans." Genis nodded in understanding.

"Is that why you use fire magic?" Genis asked, remembering from the Seal of Fire how Lloyd had said his magic would be useless there. When Lloyd nodded, Genis went on, "So … you're saying that I'm better at wind magic?"

"Yes and no; wind mana is easier to use with a sword, just because they can both possess edges." Lloyd responded, smirking slightly. "But seeing as how you already know Icicle and Lightning – two of the higher elements – I'd reckon that as soon as you were at a high enough level, you'd be able to use any element you wanted." Genis perked up at that, a grin splitting his face. Lloyd shook his head in amusement at the sudden enthusiasm. "But, that'll take many years of practice, and you won't get there any faster if we stand here theorizing about it; get back on guard, because here I come!!" Genis grinned, and raised the kodachi to block one of Lloyd's incoming blades.

―鳳―

The next day dawned bright and clear as the four headed over to the geyser itself, looking at the water that reached for the sky as the first tourists of the day arrived in actual boats, a Palmacosta Tour Guide with them. Seeing Genis about to complain, Lloyd explained, "Those boats are paid for by the Palmacosta taxes in order for them to be used on the pilgrimages, which happen to move slower than cold syrup." Catching onto what Lloyd was suggesting, Genis closed his mouth and nodded, although he still felt bitter about having to ride in washtubs.

While the other tourists were still down at the docks alone, Colette's eyes caught onto the site of the Oracle stone. "Hmm?? Oh, there's an Oracle stone!" She chirped, making Raine and Genis look; Lloyd was busy keeping his eyes on the docks below, as he could see that those on the boats were still occupied. Without turning around, the brunet commented, "Very well, Chosen; we might want to enter the seal now, so we do not cause a commotion." Raine nodded in agreement, and Colette placed her hands on the stone.

At once, a large boulder that perched on a stone outcropping vanished into thin air, and a spectral staircase reached from the geyser's shore up to the ledge. Not wanting to remain there long, the group bolted up the stairs. As Lloyd and Genis stepped onto the ridge, the staircase vanished, and both of them saw a very irate Sheena glaring at them from beside the Oracle stone. "Well, at least she can't get at us right now." Genis commented to Lloyd, who shrugged vaguely and walked into the seal, his 'apprentice' at his back.

"Now … let the excavations begin!" Raine's excited statement made Lloyd groan in annoyance once he heard it; Genis did the same thing. "Raine, we are not here to dig anything up." The two intoned at the same time, making Raine instantly snap out of her Ruin-mode induced daze and stare at the two in shock; did they seriously just say that in synchronization?? As the two laughed at her stunned look the half-elf reasoned with herself that Lloyd was simply impatient to release the seal and that her enthusiasm in regards to the ruin itself were not appreciated. Genis was simply irritated with it, and he tried to keep her calm nine times out of ten when this sort of thing happened.

Pushing the matter aside, Raine straightened her shoulders with a 'hmph' before following the younger three into the depths of the seal, her eyes darting about as aquatic monsters of all sorts assaulted the group up until they found the warp panel that would undoubtedly lead to the seal. There was a catch, however; there was no way to reach the platform from where they stood now, and it was far too great a distance for them to jump down from. "Should we swim over?" Colette asked, attempting to be helpful as Genis looked into the water. Raine paled, and was about to tell Colette that such an option would not be wise when Genis cried out and leapt away from the water, going to stand behind the older boy. Lloyd looked at him in confusion.

"T—there's a sea serpent down there!!" Genis explained, eyes wide. Raine and Colette both stared at the younger half-elf while Lloyd gazed down into the water himself. The brunet didn't seem to see anything, because after a moment he looked up and shook his head. "I'm serious, I really saw that down there!!" He insisted frantically, desperate. Lloyd looked at him and nodded.

"I guess that rules out swi – hmm?? When did this jar open?" Lloyd cut himself off as he looked at a scale across a small canal, red eyes interested. Sitting on one end of the scale was a small ceramic jar, lidless and empty. Beneath the disc it sat on, one could just barely see the indentation of a switch. "I'm guessing that we should fill it with water, seeing as how this is Undine's home. The question now is how to fill it …"

"Should we scoop water up with a cup?" Colette offered; Lloyd stared at her with the Aurion-deadpanned-expression™ once again, and Genis and Raine proceeded to back away from the water, Raine due to her hydrophobia, Genis because of the brief glimpse of the sea serpent that he knew was swimming beneath them. About to state that they wouldn't be able to reach the jug to put water in it, Genis accidentally pushed some of his mana into the Sorcerer's ring, causing a jet of water to shoot out of it and hit the back of Lloyd's head. All four of them stopped to stare (they didn't know when the ring had begun to fire water, since they had used the small flame it emitted earlier in the temple), and Genis reluctantly waked forward and fired water towards the jug.

It took a couple of hits, but eventually the scales tipped. With an audible clicking noise, the switch was triggered, and the platform that the seal rested on was lifted into the air. Relieved, the four turned and walked towards the platform with vigor; as soon as Undine was awakened, they would be one step closer to saving Sylvarant. Lloyd hung back a short distance, his eyes clouded and distant as he followed the three Sylvaranti; what did Yggdrasil gain from doing this? Yuan had stated that Yggdrasil used to have pacts with the eight elemental Summon Spirits, but whether or not the pacts were still valid was unknown. Certainly putting the Seals as the focal point for the mana links endangered the well-being of the spirits themselves …

Pushing the matter aside, Lloyd stepped onto the warp panel that lead to the seal room, grimacing at the high levels of humidity that the air possessed. 'Figures …' He grunted mildly, eyes spying the young man in front of them with mild distaste. The Guardian before them looked to be a few years older than Lloyd with sandy hair and eyes the color of the waters around them. Stepping up to stand behind Colette, Lloyd locked eyes with the Guardian, not letting the man escape his gaze.

The Guardian smirked at them, his hands tucked into his pockets. "So, you've finally come, Chosen." He said simply, his gruff voice catching the attention of the other three that were with Lloyd. "I am Perdeus, Guardian of Undine; are you here to release the Seal?" Colette stepped forward and nodded, spurring Perdeus into continuing, "Are you and your companions prepared to face the trial, Chosen One?" After glancing behind the others for a moment, Colette turned back to Perdeus and nodded. With a smirk, the brawler leapt backwards onto the Seal itself, startling the others. "Then, come forth!"

Wary, the four stepped towards the seal. After they had done so, Perdeus smirked again, and he looked behind him and hollered, "Suigin, they're ready!" At his words, the sea serpent that Genis had glimpsed earlier rocketed to the surface, hissing. Its deep blue eyes locked onto the four mortals before it, the water running down the beast's azure tinted silver scales. Water surged around it, and a wave rushed towards the group as Suigin dove for them.

Leaping away, Lloyd began to chant a spell mantra, Genis listening intently as his hands went down to the kodachi. "Great lord of fire, bring down your blade; Flame Lance!" Genis remembered the spell as the one Lloyd had used against the Desians outside of Triet, and watched as the burning pillar of mana streaked towards Suigin. Like before, the spell detonated the instant it hit, sending waves of heat over the group as Suigin hissed in pain, a reaction mirrored by Perdeus. Memorizing the mantra as he watched Lloyd race towards Suigin to slash at the beast with his swords, Genis saw Colette's chakrams gouging through the weak spots in its armor while Raine's mana flared, and her Charge spell refilled some of Lloyd's incredible mana reserves.

Not wanting to be left out, Genis slipped in closer to where Suigin's torso was engulfed in the water, and lashed out with the kodachi Lloyd had given him. To his considerable shock, the steel sliced through the gap of two scales, and blue blood began to pool out over his hands. Suigin shrieked, its sinuous form writhing as its tail shot towards Genis, the venomous tines ready to impale the young half-elf. Unable to move, Genis found himself staring in horror as the tail crept closer to him …

A grunt and Suigin's shriek told Genis that he had not died; Lloyd had seen the danger that Genis was in and had rushed over to pin himself between the boy and the tine, somehow managing to retain the strength to wound Suigin as the tine stabbed. Looking him over, Genis was horrorstruck to see that the tine was dangerously close to Lloyd's heart, perhaps only a few centimeters beneath it. "Raine!!" Genis hollered wildly, catching his sister's attention. Seeing the state that Lloyd was in, Raine rapidly cast her First Aid spell as Lloyd, with the last of his strength, managed to stab straight through one of Suigin's scales to pierce the muscles beneath it. After he had done so, he passed out.

Furious for some reason, Genis leapt away from Suigin and Lloyd's unconscious form, rapidly repeating the mantra that he had heard Lloyd use earlier. "Burn: Flame Lance!!" In spite of his fury, Genis couldn't help but smile as the sight of the spell ramming straight into the spot where Suigin's heart most likely was. With a shriek, the sea serpent fell backwards, its tine ripping out of Lloyd's torso as it sank beneath the waters, unconscious. It would not drown, but Genis doubted that it would be able to hit them for too much longer. Seeing her chance Raine rushed over to where Lloyd laid unconscious, a Pacnea Bottle in hand.

Dumping the contents of the bottle into the puncture wound, Raine looked over her shoulder at Colette; the blond was looking at her bodyguard with a horrified look. "Colette, release the seal; I can take care of him." She reassured the girl, mentally praying that she was not lying. Colette nodded grimly, and turned to look at Perdeus as Genis raced over to Raine, his kodachi still out. Perdeus looked at Lloyd briefly, worried, and then glanced at Colette. Unable to say anything, the Guardian simply bowed his head and allowed himself to be swallowed up by the water; if Lloyd died, he would be catching hell for it from Suzaku.

Once the Guardian left, Colette approached the seal and extended her wings, watching the sea blue light that shone from the seal with mixed emotions. "Oh Goddess Martel, let this spirit awaken, and may the world be healed with this blessing of mana." She whispered, allowing herself to hover into the air as Undine appeared before her, silhouetted by the light around her. After a few moments, she vanished, and Remiel descended to give Colette her blessing.

Genis wasn't paying too much attention; he was too worried about Lloyd. "Raine …" He begged, looking at his sister as she cast the third First Aid spell she had used on Lloyd in a row. As gruff as he was, Genis had to admit that he looked up to Lloyd, placing him as the older brother that he had always wanted to have; Raine had been looking after him since he was born, and she felt more like a parent than a sibling. Raine must've noticed her brother's concern, because she sent him an apologetic look.

"I've managed to remove most of the poison, but the wound still needs to drain." She told the boy, who relaxed slightly. "Lloyd will be unconscious for a while, however, and I cannot completely close the wound. I just hope that none of the venom reached his heart …" She tapered off, refusing to elaborate on what would happen if that had happened; there was a good possibility that Lloyd would die then, and she didn't want to worry Genis any more than he already was. Sealing up the wound as much as she dared, Raine straightened and slung Lloyd's closest arm over her shoulders, her other arm supporting both her staff and Lloyd's torso. Standing still, she allowed Genis to put Lloyd's swords away, and as Colette approached them, looked at the two younger children with worry. "We should leave now …"

Colette and Genis nodded, and they lead the way out of the seal room, hands on their weapons as the small troupe reached the exit. The sun had just begun to sink, and after checking, Genis found that he couldn't see Sheena anywhere nearby, so he was willing to bet that she had left with the tourists. After descending the spectral staircase, the group managed to get back towards their campsite before Colette fell to her knees, exhausted by both the battle and the latest portion of her angelic transformation. Being her usual self-sacrificing self, Colette insisted that Raine finish tending to Lloyd, stating that she would be well in a couple of moments.

Complying, Raine removed Lloyd's shirt to better heal the wound, inwardly wincing at the sight of dried blood covering the lower half of the brunet's torso. The wound from Suigin showed up a sickly blue color against the moderate tan of Lloyd's skin, and Raine knew that there was still some venom in Lloyd's system, most likely in the surrounding muscle tissue. Sighing, Raine used another Pacnea Potion on Lloyd, her eyes locking onto the pendant around Lloyd's neck as she put the empty bottle away.

Unable to restrain her curiosity, she reached over and picked the golden oval up, her fingers finding a latch. Opening it with a flick of the thumb, Raine found her gut twist in guilt at the picture the locket contained; a tall man and a young woman stood side by side, a small boy cradled in the woman's arms. 'His parents …' She realized, quickly closing the locket. That was something Lloyd had every right to keep to himself; no matter how suspicious she was of him, his family was not something Raine could pry into.

―鳳―

_Well, how was that for a chapter?? Worth the wait?? ^^ I'm sorry if you all get frustrated with the ending, but that was the neatest way for me to wrap it up; the other endings I had planned out didn't flow so well._

_And I just noticed this (why I didn't earlier, I do not know); the relationship I'm writing between Genis and Lloyd seems to parallel that of Mithos and Kratos. ^^; Perhaps I'll be able to do something else with how Raine and Lloyd interact, perhaps with Raine trying to keep her brother away from him …_

_Anyway, I must say this; you will see Perdeus again, as well as Serius. And the next time you see him, Perdeus WILL fight. I just couldn't come up with a way for Lloyd to be critically injured while fighting him, seeing as how he is a martial artist. SO … battle with the immense familiar, Suigin!! ^^ (Suigin translates to Mercury FYI)_

Water: Perdeus  
Race: Guardian  
Sex: Male  
Hair: sandy blond  
Eyes: sea green  
Symbol: large sea serpent  
weapon: brawler  
Outfit: Blue-black pants, barefoot, bandages up both arms and a black headband around forehead  
Personality: easy-going, disquieting, loud, rude on occasion

_Until next time, review!!_

_Oh, and the song that Corrine and Leila were singing at the beginning was "Everytime we touch" by Cascada. XD Those two just like embarrassing Sheena and Lloyd, don't they??  
_


	15. Facing the Past

_You all know the drill by now, people. I own Leila, Ereshkigal, the Guardians, and Kratos' sisters Rose and Sakura, and Kaino and Kass are property of Dragoness of Air 13, and are used with permission. Everything else is owned by Namco. ^w^ Enjoy~!_

**15. Facing the Past**

―鳳―

Yuan glanced around the cold, barren hallways of the Aurion household as he walked towards the room that housed Ereshkigal's seal. When he had first met Kratos, the auburn had saved him from a mob of extremists who weren't exactly afraid to kill, and he had been "adopted" into the family, so he was able to enter the house. Smiling nostalgically at the memories of the times he and Kratos had spent terrorizing the other children in the house, Yuan stopped in the room next to Ereshkigal's and looked at a face down photograph on a desk.

Picking it up, the cobalt smiled; even though the colors had faded, he could still tell that it had been Sakura's eighteenth birthday party, and Kassandra ((who was called Kass by everyone)) had gotten the pinket rather intoxicated. That had resulted in Kaino – the eldest – having to pin her down while Kratos and the eldest sister, Rose, had burned strong incense nearby, fanning it into Sakura's face. Yuan had stood aside and photographed the whole thing, laughing hysterically. 'I miss them all …' Yuan sighed heavily, shaking his head as he put the photograph back.

Kaino and Rose had both been killed in the war, as was Kratos' father. His mother had passed on shortly after Kratos' twentieth birthday, and the memories had been so depressing that he, Kratos, Kass, and Sakura had all left the home. Kass had gone down fighting when they went to help Mithos escape from the group that had kidnapped him at one point, and Sakura had … vanished, never to be seen again.

Yuan winced as he walked out of the door, shutting it behind him with a snap. He had come to speak with Ereshkigal, not make himself hurt over the memories of the humans who he dared to call family. 'To think, out of a ancient human family who normally had at least three members of a generation, Lloyd is the only one left.' Yuan thought bitterly, walking into Ereshkigal's room and shutting the door behind him. "If he passes, then the Aurion legacy will end in a bloody, tragic twist."

"_Well aren't you in a lovely mood this evening."_ Ereshkigal commented drily as she appeared above her seal, her black eyes half lidded from irritation. Yuan glared at the summon spirit; he and Ereshkigal weren't exactly on the best of terms. "_Now, do you care to tell me what on earth you are doing back here, after you swore that you would never return?"_

"I'm worried, that's what; Sheena told me recently that she and Lloyd fought off a demon from Niflheim recently." Yuan responded after a moment, watching Ereshkigal to see what the spirit's reaction would be. For the record, Ereshkigal gave a good impression of being rather disinterested for a spirit, but even she seemed to know that Yuan was vexed. "I wish you would have told me before I sent him out that the barrier was THAT weak." Yuan continued, crossing his arms over his chest. Ereshkigal actually tensed.

"… _Did the demon possess four arms and four blades, by any chance?"_ She asked after a moment, rotating her head to look beneath her left wing. When Yuan gave an affirmative noise, the spirit whipped her heard back to look at him, bottomless black eyes whirling. _"Then they were lucky to escape with their lives, let alone manage to destroy it. That was the Sword Dancer; the third strongest demon in Niflheim after Hell Knight and Living Armor." _She explained, looking under her right wing; something seemed to be worrying her. _"Not there either …"_ She cursed, and then began to swivel her head, looking behind herself.

"_It's been stolen!!" _Ereshkigal shrieked in fury after a few moments, extending her wings to their fullest with a snap, the lights in the room dimming rapidly. Yuan let his wings flare into life as Ereshkigal continued to shriek. _"Curses; I should have known that this was going to happen! Some descendant of Raman managed to find one of the Devil's Arms! Leave it to the dark powers inherit in those weapons to steal the portal!" _Yuan's eyes widened rapidly; he knew what Ereshkigal was talking about.

"You mean to tell me that someone stole the portal to Niflheim!?" He exclaimed, startled. After a moment, Ereshkigal nodded her head, cold fury in his eyes. "Dammit," Yuan hissed sharply, glaring at the floor. "I didn't think that I would ever have to worry about that blasted thing appearing again; not after Sakura told us the way to seal it …" Swearing again at the situation, the cobalt looked up at Ereshkigal, a small flicker of worry in his eyes. "And …? Have you managed to find any of the weapons apart from Flamberge?"

"_The only one I can locate is the one that was stolen by the wind demon shortly after the first Phoenix died; that is sealed in the Assgard Wind Dias. As for the other ones, only the Guardians who once wielded them know of their location." _Ereshkigal answered, shaking her head slightly. _"Whether or not Lloyd will be able to reach the one held by the demon in time is another matter entirely …_

"_From what my sister has told me, the darkness is starting to gather strength; it will break free soon."_

―鳳―

_(Thoda Geyser …)  
_Later that evening, Sheena was walking past the Chosen's campsite, heading for the Seal of Water when she spotted Lloyd unconscious at the edge of the camp. Worried – Lloyd hardly ever slept – Sheena crept closer to him, and was immediately alarmed to see that there was a still bleeding wound directly beneath his heart. Granted, the wound wasn't bleeding much, but it was still cause to worry. 'Oh no … what happened to him this time?' Sheena worried, kneeling besides Lloyd body. Gently, as if Lloyd would bleed more if she was too rough, Sheena ran her fingers over the edges of the puncture; the flesh felt slightly inflated, as if it was infected.

About to grab a small gel from her obi, Sheena had to leap away as a small kodachi jabbed at her from the shadows. Peering into the gloomy twilight that the small fire close to the blond Chosen let off, Sheena was shocked to see that it was the small half-elf that had somehow gotten Lloyd to teach him some swordplay, Genis, if she recalled correctly. "O – oi." Sheena hissed as she stood up, glaring at Genis as he walked around Lloyd's body to stand between him and Sheena.

"What're you doing here?' Genis responded, his voice quiet as to not draw attention from Colette and Raine, the latter being asleep close to Colette. Eyes narrowing, the younger half-elf demanded, "If you're here to kill Lloyd or Colette …"

"I am not here for the _kinpa-no-baka_, so you don't have to worry about that." Sheena cut him off sharply, glancing over at where Colette sat on watch duty. "And as for Lloyd … I owe him for something he did for me once long ago, and once I saw him like this, I grew curious." Sheena hoped that Genis would buy the story; it was partially true. "I came here because I had heard that this was where the Summon Spirit Undine dwelt."

"It is, but why are you interested in the Summon Spirits?" Genis asked, leading Sheena a short distance away from the campsite. Looking at the young woman, Genis found himself staring in shocked silence at the young woman; despite her outfit, she looked like she was fully capable of doing her job, and the sword on her back looked especially dangerous. Once the two stopped moving, Sheena turned and looked at Genis, mentally arguing with herself; she didn't want Lloyd to die, but if she couldn't get into the Seal without alarming the Chosen, she would be disobeying the orders that she had been given … Perhaps if Genis was willing to leave her alone … Wait! This might just work to her advantage …

"I summon." Sheena said simply, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at Genis in an indifferent way. "Now, I'm willing to offer a deal; like I said, I owe Lloyd a favor. If I promise to help heal him, would you help me fight against Undine? I know it's not something you have someone ask you every day, but …" She tapered off, looking at Genis to see how the young half-elf would react.

Genis stared at Sheena like she was insane, although a mental battle was going on full force behind his sky blue eyes. He knew he shouldn't trust this girl, but from the way she was acting – she could have easily killed him off with the sword she had on her back, and the young half-elf knew she was aware of this – she might truly mean to help Lloyd. Glancing back at the brunet mercenary, Genis finally decided to go along with his worry for the older boy, and he looked at Sheena and sighed. "As long as Lloyd is healed … I will help."

"**So you finally decided to help out; very well, I'll come as well, seeing as how the gaki would kill me if I let you two get hurt."**A third voice growled, and Genis gasped at the sight of a golden dragon approaching them, its large scaly build oddly silent over the stone surface. Leila looked at Sheena and Genis before shaking her head, saying softly, **"Kid, if you so much as **_**imply**_** my presence to that sister of yours, I will personally use you as a living shield." **Genis, startled, nodded, which seemed to placate Leila for the time being. **"This will actually come as an advantage to us all; if we tried to use the staircase, the Chosen might very well – scratch that, she WOULD find out that something big was going on, and she would most likely want to join in. That would not end well, to say the least."**

"No … it wouldn't." Genis admitted, looking up at Leila as she nodded and slowly bent down, allowing Sheena and the half-elf to clamber onto her shoulders as she shifted. Looking down as Leila stood up, Genis had to gulp in mild fear from seeing how high up they were suddenly. "Wow … I didn't think I was afraid of heights, but this is kind of frightening …" He stammered, locking onto the golden scales and ivory spikes in front of him. "Uhh … Miss Dragon, how do we keep from falling off?" He asked, nervously shifting.

"**Kid, unless you want to lose your treasure before you get a chance to use it, you will stop moving around so much." **Leila commented, which made Genis pale rapidly, settling. Sheena bit back a laugh as the dragon glanced back at the two, her violet eyes nearly black in the evening light. **"That's good; to keep from falling, you simply don't pass out." **She said curtly, tail swishing as her wings opened partially. **"As for my name, I am called Leila."** When Genis nodded to show that he understood, Leila nodded her head. **"Good. Now, I hope that you didn't eat recently." **Before Genis could ask what she meant, Leila leapt for a nearby stone outcropping, wings snagging the air as she landed. After a few seconds, the dragon leapt to a second, higher outcropping, then to a third, and finally to a fourth before she landed lightly on the ledge that lead into the seal.

Snorting, Leila slipped into cave before letting Sheena and Genis slip off of her back. While Sheena was fine – she had ridden on Leila's back before – Genis seemed to be quite shaken up, and his legs gave out from beneath him when he landed. "That … was nothing like … I imagined it would be like …" He panted, shaking his head as he checked to make sure he was all in one piece. Once he had, the half-elf reached back towards his pack, feeling the kodachi's scabbard beneath his fingers. (He wore the blade behind his back to keep it out of the way.) Digging into his pack, he paled slightly. "Oh no! I left my kendama back at the camp!" Genis gasped lightly, looking up at Sheena and Leila in worry.

"You use a kendama to cast magic?" Sheena asked, impressed. "I didn't know that those could be used as a weapon, to be honest." Genis looked up at her and smiled shyly, scuffing a foot on the ground of the temple as Leila led them into the seal's depths. With the dragon beside them, none of the monsters dared attack, and all hid behind stones and beneath the water when Leila stopped in the center of the room that lead to Undine's seal.

"**Hmph; dark, damp, humid …"** She muttered, and Genis could see flames beginning to form around the dragon's mouth as she snarled, revealing long, silver fangs. **"Let's dry things out a bit, eh?"** She commented, and before either Sheena or Genis could comment, snaked out her head and expelled a burst of white hot flames towards the ceiling, several stalactites and bunches of moss catching fire immediately, glowing a bright cherry red as a mist began to hiss into life.

"Leila, what was that for?!" Genis yelled at the dragon, who swished her tail back and forth out of self satisfaction. Looking around the room, Leila was amused to see that several of the lesser monsters had fled into the ocean depths. Beneath them, a dark shape began to swim to the surface, and a few seconds later, the elongated head of a Lung Dragon appeared out of the water, staring at the golden dragon and its two companions with deep pearlescent eyes.

_Daughter of the golden king, why have you come here?_ It asked after a moment, the wispy voice that rang in Sheena and Genis' minds somehow being female. _Your kinsmen have been as rare as the summer sun in this place for over four thousand years … why now?_

"**We wish to enter Undine's home; the girl here is a summoner, and is in need of a pact with her." **Leila answered, prodding Sheena forward slightly with her tail. **"And the half-elf is here to help her, as am I; are we allowed passage?" **The Lung looked at Genis and Sheena for a moment, and then vanished beneath the water. Before Genis could ask Leila why they needed clearance from a dragon when the portal was just over there, a fountain of water shot up, and the Lung hovered in the air before them, and Genis found himself staring in awe at the sight, as was Sheena. The Lung's scales were a glorious robin's egg blue in color, and a mane the color of turquoise ran down the beast's back, ending in a fan at the end of its tail. It lacked back legs, and the forelegs were only as long as Sheena's were, despite the length of its serpentine form.

_The seal to which the Chosen of Mana prays to the heavens is merely a stage that the leaders of Cruxis gave to the spirits to keep the Chosen from being lost in the depths of the sea where Undine's home is located._ The Lung stated, catching Sheena and Genis off guard. _While the Queen of the Seas will form a pact when summoned to the seal room, it is best to fight her where her home lies, deep beneath both the dungeons and the stage for the regeneration journey. The trip will be swift and sudden, and no matter what happens, do not dare breathe. _With that said, the dragon seemed to swim through the air so that it rested perpendicular to where Genis and Sheena stood. _The summoner shall ride with me; Gladersrai, you shall have to take the half-elf._ Nodding, Leila picked Genis up with her tail and deposited him on her back.

Sheena stared at the Lung in hesitance, but after a moment, the thought of Lloyd lying back by the campfire, unconscious and possibly dying, made her straighten her shoulders and sit astride the Lung's neck. Clinging to the creature's elk-like antlers, Sheena felt her breath leave her in a rush as the Lung shifted and began to dive back beneath the waters, Leila taking to the air just behind them. With a loud, chilly splash, the Lung submerged, taking Sheena with it. Holding her breath as best as she could, Sheena watched in awe as the Lung carried her deeper into the ocean than she thought possible, all sorts of fish and sea monsters rushing past them both; if she had been able to breathe, she would have marveled at the sight.

As it was, Sheena found herself actually kind of glad that they were going so fast; her lungs were starting to scream from the lack of oxygen that she needed to live. Not even daring to glance back to see how Leila and Genis were holding out, Sheena simply clung tighter to the Lung's antlers and prayed to the gods that they would reach Undine's home soon. As she thought this, a flicker of azure caught the corner of her vision; turning, Sheena was shocked to see a large sea serpent swimming in the water a short distance away from them, a young man with sandy hair riding on its back.

Genis, however, was looking around with wide eyes, taking in the view of the world beneath the waters with awe. He had never thought that there would be so many things living where nothing above the sea could get them. Like Sheena, he saw Suigin and the Guardian who was with them, but didn't draw attention to it; he still felt a little irritated with the Guardian and his familiar. Leila surged beneath him as she followed the Lung in front of her, and before the half-elf could realize what was going on, both he and Sheena were able to breathe once again, as they were now in a small pool, located deep beneath the surface of a water in a cavern that dripped with water and moisture, and as the Sheena slipped off of the Lung, she was both startled and slightly frightened to see that there was an even deeper pool of water farther inside the chamber, the waters a deep sapphire color. The walls and ceiling both glowed with a deep, almost physical blue-green glow, one that highlighted their skins in aquatic shadows.

"Why did we have to come down here to make a pact with Undine?" Sheena finally asked after a moment, to which Leila responded with, **"While not too many people know of this, but when a Summon Spirit is called to the Cruxis Seal, a bit of their power is diluted with the mana of the seal, thus slightly stilling their elemental ties. If you had called Undine to the seal, you would have been able to hurt her with water spells, which is quite the loophole in the seals, if you ask me." **Sheena nodded lightly in agreement, but didn't bother to respond. Genis simply nodded, mind working rapidly as the three headed over towards the pool of water.

―鳳―

_It was a dream of his past; Lloyd could tell that simply because he could see his younger self walking alongside his father, laughing happily as he chased fireflies. Confused, the brunet simply stood off at a distance, and watched and listened as Kratos turned to look at the younger Lloyd and laughed lightly. "Lloyd, I do not believe that the fireflies are going to like it if you grip them so tightly." The auburn murmured softly, lightly resting a hand on his son's tightly clenched hand. The young Lloyd looked up to him._

"_Really, Daddy?" he asked, and the elder Lloyd found himself wincing in pain; he was so innocent in those days … and this was only a week before he lost his mother and father, if that. Looking at his toddler self made Lloyd want to cry for what all he had lost too soon, but resisted the urge as Kratos nodded and stooped down to be on the young Lloyd's eye level. Ruffling the boy's hair, Kratos commented softly, "Would you like it if some giant that wanted to pet you pressed down and smashed you?"_

"_Like you and Mommy would let it." Young Lloyd laughed, to which Kratos chuckled lightly in agreement. After a moment, the toddler shook his head and opened his fist, letting the fireflies that he was clenching fly back on up into the evening sky, and gasped as a large bird swooped across the sky, letting out a war cry as it began a tight spiral. Frightened at first, Lloyd yelped and hid behind his father's legs as Kratos stood up and extended his arm. After another moment of spiraling, the bird came and landed on the proffered arm, revealing itself as a kite-tailed hawk, which looked at Kratos with bright golden eyes. The young Lloyd stared at it from behind his relative shelter and whispered, "Big birdie …"_

"_Mm … Actually, this one is rather average size." Kratos commented, kneeling down and showing the hawk to the toddler. Lloyd watched as his younger self flinched away from the raptor at first, but eventually reached out a hand to place on the bird's shoulders as Kratos gently pressed him closer. "Don't worry, Lloyd, it won't hurt you; not only do you not smell like food, but it … I apologize, he will not hurt you." The auburn smiled, and the hawk pushed its head closer to Lloyd, letting the boy pet its feather covered neck and head._

"_It's a boy??" the young Lloyd asked, and Kratos smiled at him and nodded. "You're smart, Daddy!" Kratos laughed at that, and he ruffled Lloyd's hair with his free hand as the hawk tilted its head at the young boy. The teenage Lloyd sat there and watched as his younger self turned his face to his father. "Daddy, why do you like birdies?" He asked, and there was an innocence in those wide red eyes that not even the older Lloyd could comprehend. Kratos smiled down at the younger Lloyd, and straightened, the hawk launching itself off of his arm._

"_Partially, it is because of the fact that I share the skies with them, but mostly …" Kratos tapered off and bent to pick Lloyd up, and smiled broadly at his young son. "mostly, I like watching the birds because they have no true master, save for themselves. They are free to hunt and fly as they please, with nothing to keep them bound to the earth. They have the freedom … that I think every being had when the world first came into being, but that humans gave up … That was a mistake on our part." Kratos whispered the last part, but the older Lloyd heard it, and he felt a jolt of pain race through him; his father had spoken the truth._

_Suddenly, a painful urge to stand up and hug his father overtook Lloyd, and he had straightened before he remembered that it was all a dream, just a wonderful, peaceful dream, and that Kratos had died soon after this moment in time. That thought also made Lloyd feel like crying, as did the memory of his innocence and his loss of said blessings. To be a small child it again, to have his parents to hug and love, to be protected … Lloyd found himself being pulled from his dream, but he still felt the longing to be held deep within him. He was tired of being the warrior, the one that defended._

_He wanted to be the one who needed protection, if only for a moment …_

―鳳―

Deep beneath where the others were, the pool of sapphire water surged into life as Sheena and Genis approached it, forming the shape of a woman with flowing violet hair and a elegant skirt, a pair of deep blue eyes locking onto the two as they stopped walking, Leila right behind them. "You have called me, Summoner … do you have something to ask of me?" Undine asked, her voice deep and soft at the same time. Genis stopped and stared at the Summon Spirit of water in awe, completely transfixed; he had never expected that the Summon Spirits would be so intimidating yet amazing at the same time …

Sheena paused, almost unsure of herself; at least she could understand what Undine was saying, which was more than what had happened with Volt. Swallowing, she stated, "I am Sheena! I have come to make a pact!" Biting the inside of her lip, Sheena prayed that Undine would not go berserk, and that she might actually have a chance at helping Lloyd. Much to Sheena's distress, Undine shook her head.

"As it is now, I cannot; I already bear a pact with Mithos." The spirit explained, making both Sheena and Genis stare; Leila simply snorted and shook her head in annoyance, wondering why she hadn't seen this coming. Panicked, Sheena turned to look at Leila and asked rapidly, "What am I supposed to do now?? They never mentioned this at the academy …" She tapered off, incredibly nervous. Glancing at the spirit of water, Leila shrugged and said simply, **"Ask her to break the pact; the pact should be null if Mithos has died, or if the pact has been broken."**

"Wait … does Undine mean Mithos the Hero?" Genis asked after a moment, looking at the water spirit in wonder. "If that's it, then I bet the pact is null because of death." Sheena looked at the half-elf, and then at Undine, and finally back at Leila; the dragon looked back at her, an unreadable expression on her face. If the dragon was thinking of something, she spoke not of it, but rather glanced over at Undine, the eerie blue-green light of the cavern making her violet eyes glow pale lavender. Deciding to follow Leila's advice, Sheena turned to face Undine herself and said in as firm a voice as she could muster, "Undine, I ask that thou annuslt thy pact with Mithos, and establish a new pact with me."

Undine nodded. "Very well, then; draw your weapons." The spirit then crouched into a fighting position, and Leila crouched as well. Sheena and Genis looked between the two, and Leila finally growled, **"In order to prove to the Summon Spirits that you are capable of wielding their might, a summoner must battle with the Summon Spirit." **Sheena nodded in understanding, and after a moment's hesitation, drew the Kusanagi blade from where it rested on her back, the polished silver steel singing in the air, glowing in the light as Sheena grasped the hilt in both hands. Genis also drew his kodachi, watching Undine with wary blue-grey eyes.

After a moment, Undine lunged, a sword of water forming in her right hand, which she thrust straight at Genis. The half-elf brought up the kodachi to parry it, and he leapt away and let Sheena engage the spirit, making sure he didn't get nicked by the Kusanagi. Once he was certain that the ninja and Leila – who was shooting small balls of white-gold fire at Undine – would keep the spirit busy for a while, he began to chant a mantra for another spell. "Take this; Thunder Arrow!" The lightning triangle formed around Undine, and if the spirit had been able to, she would have faded out of existence into her pool, but Leila kept her pinned by a continuous rain of fire balls until the lightning fell.

As the strikes went on and on, Sheena turned to look at Genis out of the corner of her eye; this kid was good at his spells, and if she wasn't careful, she might get hit by one of them. Unfortunately, her drop in guard allowed Sheena to get nailed by the Spread spell that Undine sent her way. Once the sudden surge of water deposited her on the ground, Sheena took a moment to regain her bearings, and she watched Genis slash at Undine with his kodachi, eyes narrowed in concentration. It proved to be of little use, because Undine summoned her water sword and battered the young half-elf aside, sending him into the nearby wall.

Scowling, Sheena looked at the Kusanagi, and smiled to herself. Once Undine had begun to occupy herself with battling Leila, Sheena held the legendary sword up before her and pulled out a solitary spell card, one with elemental kanji painted onto its surface. Focusing her mana, the summoner chanted, _"Omeshi; Kairai!"_ Undine paused, and was about to teleport away when a rain of thunderbolts shot down from above and struck her, and Sheena charged at the last moment, the Kusanagi blade glistening in her hand as she thrust it home into Undine's torso. With an explosion of water, Undine appeared above her pool of water, wounds healed. As Genis slowly staggered to his feet, the spirit turned to Sheena. "Very well, Sheena; state your pact."

Sheena drew a deep breath, and looked down at the Kusanagi once again, and she could remember the fight when she and Lloyd had beaten the sword demon. Looking back up at Undine, she said, "There are people suffering, and I vow to help them." Undine seemed satisfied, because the spirit nodded her head, and dissolved into a glowing sphere of sea blue mana, which hovered before Sheena and eventually deposited itself in the form of an aquamarine ring in her hand. Sheena stared in shock, unable to fully comprehend that she had made the pact. After a moment, Genis nudged her.

"Can we get going now? Raine might wake up soon …" He commented, nervous. Leila grunted in agreement, and Sheena snapped back into reality. With a nod, she resheathed the Kusanagi, and mounted the waiting Lung, ready to head back up to the surface. Genis nodded as well, and he clambered up onto Leila's shoulders as the Lung dove once again, the golden dragon following soon after. The trip back up to the surface went even faster than the journey down, and Sheena had no time to look around as the Lung launched out of the water and into the air. Leila's wings flapped in the air a moment later, and the two dragons hovered, waiting for their passengers to descend. Genis leapt off eagerly, and Sheena slowly slid off of the Lung's neck, patting its long muzzle as she did so. The Lung nodded its head slowly, and as Leila landed once again, turned over itself in the air and dove back into the water one more, ready to defend the way to Undine's home once again.

Once they had left the seal's dungeon, Leila carried the two down the rock face once again, and as they landed, she grunted and shrunk herself once again. Flying over to Genis, she landed on his shoulder. **"Well, let's take care of Lloyd, then."** She stated, looking at the brunet; Genis and Sheena nodded, and as they both knelt by the brunet's body, Sheena drew a deep breath. It seemed liked Lloyd had managed to fight off most of the poison in his system, but if he could get just a little extra push … Calling upon a small portion of Undine's mana, Sheena purged the rest of the poison from Lloyd's system, his skin slowly cooling back to normal levels. Sighing, she looked at Genis, who was every bit as tired as she was. "Get some sleep; he'll be fine." Genis grinned at her, and wandered over to his sleeping bag, falling asleep the instant he hit the sack. Leila leapt from his shoulder to Lloyd's wing pack, slipping into it without a second's notice.

Glancing at Lloyd one last time, Sheena smiled and placed a kiss to his lips. "I'll see you again, koi. Don't die on me, please …" With that, she rose up, and shushined away, not even a poof of smoke to show that she had been there.

―鳳―

_(The border of Niflhim)_

The demons surged and shrieked, struggling to break through the barrier. The glowing structure stood, but there were cracks forming in its surface, and the person watching it off to one side grew worried, a dull sheen to their wine red eyes. "Damn … Aniki, where the hell are you? … What is going on up in Manheim?"

―鳳―

_Kinpa-no-baka: Blond haired idiot_  
_Omeshi: Kairai; Summoning: thunderstorm_

_XD_

_Well, how was that chapter?? Bet it was rather different than what you were thinking … X3 Oh, and the person I mentioned in the very last bit will be appearing again … X3. Review, please!!!_


	16. The War Demon’s Son part I

_HOLY F***!!! *dies*  
__**Lloyd:**__ What's got you so worked up?  
This story is at sixteen chapters!! I'm only starting to toy with it!!  
__**Lloyd:**__ Oh god … *Facepalms* You and your complicated plot lines …  
__**Raine:**__ *gasps* Lloyd! You know what that word means!!  
__**Lloyd:**__ …  
This ain't the same ol' baka Lloydie, Raine-sensei. ANYWAY, on to the chapter!! Same disclaimer from last chapter!_

**16. The War Demon's Son part I**

-鳳-

Yuan was irritated; it rarely happened, but once it did, one could tell when something had gotten under the cobalt's skin, and anyone with a lick of common sense would be safer somewhere else. In this case, that would mean staying away from Torent Forest; instead of going back to the Renegade base after his brief – yet rather informative – meeting with Ereshkigal, Yuan had decided that he should question Origin to see if the Spirit King held any notion of what in the name of the gods was going on. True, Ereshkigal was the one who watched over the barrier – along with the Gatekeeper – but Origin was the true master in charge.

Stopping before the barrier that Lloyd had placed around the Spirit King's seal, Yuan cleared his throat. "Origin, could I have a word, if at all possible?" While still irate, Yuan knew better than to be curt when addressing Origin; at best, the Spirit king would nail someone with three Ramesh spells in sequence if they did not show him the respect he deserved. At worst, well, you would be speaking with Ereshkigal or the Gatekeeper before you could register what was happening.

It seemed that Yuan's luck was in, because Origin appeared just beyond the reach of the barrier. "And why have you come to this place, Yuan?" The Spirit king demanded, crossing one set of arms over his chest. Yuan met the spirit's eyes squarely, and he also crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the ground. While he had spoken several times with the other spirits before – he was also the only one who could speak fluently with Volt in the same language as the spirit – speaking with Origin wasn't exactly his favorite thing to do, and it rattled his nerves.

"The barrier between here and Niflheim; do you know how thin it is these days?" Origin's eyes narrowed, and Yuan was wondering if the Spirit king had somehow gotten word of his visit with Ereshkigal already. It wouldn't shock him, but at the same time, Yuan knew that perhaps it would be best if he got out as much as he could before he was cut off. "I might not have been told _everything_ about the barrier while we were growing up, but Kratos always hinted that there was something major about it besides the fact that it was keeping the demons of Niflheim back." Drawing a deep breath, he finished, "And I'm afraid that Lloyd just might be in danger from whatever is going on."

Origin remained silent for a few moments before he sighed. "Not even I know what all lies behind the barrier, Yuan; Niflheim is the realm of demons, Ereshkigal, and the Shinigami alone." He admitted after a moment, naming the god of death. "All that Ereshkigal would tell me about the barrier was that if it were to ever break, it would be as bad as when Neibliem attempted to overthrow the Tethe'allan monarchy." Something about the way he stood, and the look of his eyes, signaled Yuan; there was something far larger than what Origin was suggesting behind this.

"But you forget, Neibliem was defeated by the Swordsman Raman; a lone man. True, his weapons were cursed and scattered to the winds …" Tapering off, Yuan remembered something that had always interested him; Flamberge. "That reminds me … according to Sheena _AND_ Leila, there are stories about Flamberge being in possession of someone called the 'War God' circulating around Tethe'alla." Origin flinched, making Yuan continue with, "If I had known that stories about Kratos of that magnitude were circling about, I would've done something about it; Kratos _hated_ being remin –"

"Those stories aren't about Kratos." Origin cut Yuan off, startling the cobalt. "They are in reference to the first wielder of Flamberge, but during the Kharlan war, the title was granted to Kratos because of how strong he was and of the fact that he was the first person in his family in several generations to be able to wield Flamberge." The last bit of information startled Yuan slightly, and Origin could see such. "The original God of War was one of the most powerful warriors of his day, slaying monsters and humans alike with a strength that many a god would look at with envy. Flamberge was his weapon, and ever since, it has been in possession of his descendants, the Aurion family."

Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he sighed softly. "Dammit; if Yggdrasil finds out about this, he would kill anything to bring Lloyd into Cruxis." He growled, emerald eyes flashing. "Anything that will give him control of the Aurion family will please him … Gods, what the hell was I thinking when I agreed to let Lloyd 'guard' the Chosen of Mana? …Kratos is going to haunt my ass for this, isn't he?"

"Most likely." Origin responded curtly, making Yuan glare at him. "Thank you for pointing out the obvious." He commented, not really caring at this point if that he should show respect or not. Crossing his arms over his chest, he spun around. "I'll leave you now; you've given me quite a lot to think about." With that, he warped away silently, leaving Origin alone. Mentally, the king of spirits was cursing fluently in all the languages he knew; leave it to Yuan of all people to notice when something like this was up … 'I can only hope that the Gatekeeper manages to contact him or Lloyd before all hell truly breaks loose.' Origin thought to himself, slowly vanishing. 'If … no, it will be too late then. The Gatekeeper NEEDS to let them know … before Hades is released unto the world again …'

'_This world is torn between salvation and damnation. I pray that it is not forsaken by the will of the gods.'_

-鳳-

(_Thoda Geyser …)_  
Lloyd awoke with a groan, the still open wound from Suigin's tine bothering him mildly; it seemed that the poison was out of his system, however, so there wasn't too much he could complain about. Sitting up, the brunet put his hand to his forehead, blinking his eyes as he sat up, cursing the morning sun as he did so. "Ugh … note to self, cast Guardian the next time I jump in front of a most likely poisonous object." He muttered, looking around the campsite. He could see that Genis and Raine were still asleep, although it looked like Genis had been up for half the night or more. Slightly worried, Lloyd rose and knelt over him; now that he looked closer, he could see small cuts, and there were a couple of bruises that he had most likely caused himself. 'Was he training after I was rendered unconscious?' Lloyd wondered, rising. Looking about for his shirt and jacket – or what was left of them – Lloyd barely had time to register that someone was leaping at him, and was just able to brace himself when Colette launched herself at him.

"Oh, thank Martel you're awake, Lloyd!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his still unclothed chest. Startled by the rather affectionate action, Lloyd simply stared down at the head of blond hair, blinking as Colette began thanking the goddess repeatedly, finally looking up at Lloyd as a smile graced her face and eyes. Something about the look she was sending Lloyd made him nervous, and something in his stomach rolled as he finally noticed why Colette was so worried about him; there was no fear in her eyes, simply shining admiration and a look of desire that made the brunet worried. If Colette fell for him, there would be many complications further down the road, and that wasn't even touching on what Sheena would do to the blond if she found out.

Highly uncomfortable with the recent turn of events, Lloyd slowly pried Colette off of him, making sure to wince like she had irritated his wound. "Chosen, while I am happy to see that you were worried for me," He began, flat out refusing to refer to Colette by name, lest she take it as a sign of affection, "I must ask; have you been up the entire night?" Colette blushed and nodded, looking away from his face. Instead, her eyes traveled down to his torso, where they stopped, a blush spreading across her features. Lloyd shifted again, even more uncomfortable, and asked, "Now that I think about it, where are my clothes?" Colette blushed even more, and she did a double check to make sure that Lloyd still had his pants on; thankfully, he did, because Raine chose that exact moment to wake up, and it would NOT be good if she had seen the two embracing when Lloyd was fully unclothed.

Shaking her head, the silver haired half-elf rose and walked over to Lloyd and Colette, her eyes narrowing when she saw how close together the two were, and where Colette's gaze was directed. The fact that Colette was blushing only added onto her suspicion, but a quick glance at Lloyd's face told Raine that the mercenary wasn't too fond of his position himself. 'Perhaps he was trying to prevent something from happening …' a part of her wondered, while another half demanded, 'That … that man is trying to take advantage of Colette! How could he?!' Shaking her head and yawning, Raine ignored the second half of her mind; for one thing, Lloyd was barely a year and a half older than Colette, and he seemed to possess no romantic interest in Colette.

Walking over towards the two, she stated calmly, "Lloyd, it's good to see that you're awake again; you had us worried there for a while." Forcing a soft smile onto her face, Raine pushed herself between Lloyd and Colette – to Lloyd's relief and Colette's mild disappointment – and inspected the wound. After a moment, she nodded her head in satisfaction. "It seems that t poison is completely out of your system; I just need to heal you once again …" Muttering the mantra for First Aid, Raine watched as the wound slowly yet steadily knitted together, the flesh flowing over the wound to leave a light scar. Briefly furrowing her brows – with all of the other times she had used First Aid on Lloyd, surely she would be able to heal the wound completely – Raine was about to try the spell again when Lloyd removed her hand.

"I'm fine, Raine; it isn't like I haven't been scarred before." Lloyd said softly, looking around the small campsite once again. "… And to repeat my earlier question, where is my shirt and jacket?" Colette flushed and looked at the ground while Raine sighed.

"They were too severely damaged for us to restore them after the battle." Raine explained, making Lloyd sigh. Looking at Colette, Raine decided that perhaps they should have been kept anyway; the blond could barely look at Lloyd without flushing, and Raine couldn't honestly blame her in the least, despite her distaste. Although on the slender side, Lloyd was well built, and most women who saw him shirtless probably ended up just like Colette, a stammering, blushing pile of fangirl goop.

Letting out a noise that would've been considered a grunt if any other man had uttered it, Lloyd turned around and spied his bag. "What a drag ..." He muttered, reaching for the pack and tugging it towards him, digging around inside one of the sections. Looking around, he spotted a small spring that didn't seem to be in danger of erupting into a geyser. Satisfied, he grabbed a small bundle of cloth out of his pack and a towel that was wrapped around something. Standing, he headed for the spring. "I'll be back shortly." He said curtly, making Raine gape at him.

"And just where are you going!?" She demanded, making Lloyd stop. Thinking that the brunet was not going to respond, Raine continued with, "You have just woken up, and I don't think your body had fully recovered from the effects of the poison. So if you are planning on –"

"There is a small spring nearby; I am going to bathe." Lloyd said flatly, cutting Raine off and making Colette blush even more than she was already. "I smell like sweat, blood, and musk, I've been unconscious for the past twelve hours, and this might be the only warm bath I get before we return to Palmacosta." Raine slowly closed her mouth and nodded in understanding, watching as Lloyd walked on towards the spring, his booted feet silent on the ground.

"I … I think I'll make breakfast …" Colette stammered after a moment of awkward silence, turning around to the small circle of stones and piling wood inside of it. Raine merely nodded to the comment, and went back over to her bag and pulled out the "Phoenix Log" for the first time since the group had left Palmacosta. Looking over the past five entries, she grimaced and pulled out her pen; things were starting to become clearer and more mysterious at the same time, the brunet's past a tangled web of knots and secrets that Raine wondered if Lloyd himself fully understood. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she began to write.

_Subject log # 6_

_It seems that my fears about Colette's affection towards Lloyd were correct; she has fallen for him, completely and utterly. It's easy to tell just by looking at her that she is utterly smitten by him, and while I cannot fully fathom why she has, I must wonder if it is simply a physical attraction. Now that I am thinking about it … several girls stared at Lloyd when we were in Palmacosta and Triet, and he was extremely uncomfortable with that. Personally, I would have thought that his red eyes would frighten several of those girls off, but it seems that it only adds to his mysterious air, and the title of the "Phoenix of Luin" seems to multiply that as well._

_On the other hand, Lloyd's recovery rate … is incredible. That wound he received from that sea serpent yesterday would have killed anyone else before I had even gotten to them. And yet he managed to not only remain conscious until I reached him, but he also managed to wound the sea serpent one last time before he finally did black out. And he is up and moving again within twenty-four hours, acting like he was never poisoned in the first place. _

_And … I now know what his parents look like. Although I do feel some guilt over looking in his locket, there was some valid information gained from it. Lloyd … is the spitting image of his father, albeit younger, and Lloyd's hair has more brown in it than his father's. But apart from that, they have the same face, the same build … and his father wore his Exsphere on the same hand Lloyd does. And Lloyd's mother … from the quick glance I took, I thought I saw Lloyd's Exsphere at her neck, but it wasn't in a Key Crest. … Could she have been an escapee from a human ranch? … Hmph; I'll have to ask at a later time. Or … perhaps it'll be explained without me having to ask at all. Only time can tell …_

-鳳-

Off at the spring, Lloyd stood submerged up to his waist in warm water, scrubbing away the grit and dried blood that covered his body. He smelt slightly better, but unless he was hallucinating, there was a faint odor of blood still clinging to him. Scowling, the brunet attempted to ignore it, but after a moment, sighed and let his hand drop back into the water. Staring darkly at his reflection, he whispered softly, "No matter how much I wash, this smell still clings to me. Does my own body let off the reek of death … or am I finally going crazy?" Lifting up his hand again, he stared at it blankly, eyes not truly seeing it. "Ever since I can remember, this reek has clung to me; it's almost like my body itself produces the smell of blood. Is it reminding me … that I am not one who should be called an angel, or is it mocking me of my heritage? Reminding me that I am the son of the War Demon?"

Lloyd's eyes darkened again, and he clenched his fist. He _hated_ how people called his father that; it made him want to hurt something. From what Yuan had told him, Kratos had scowled whenever someone called him that to his face. Lloyd could clearly understand why; his father's inhumane strength, skill with the blade, the red eyes, and his almost heartless manner had made many people wonder if he was a demon instead of a human. It was irritating, to put it mildly. And for Lloyd, who was practically his father's spitting image, such a reference followed him everywhere he went, and he hated it. The only reason he acted like he did was because like his father before him, Lloyd was used to the feeling of blood on his hands, and the best way to deal with it was to wall off his heart and emotions, keeping those that could be hurt by knowing him – and himself – safe.

'I am no more a demon than Yggdrasil, who kills innocents for the sake of reviving someone who weeps over his actions.' Lloyd scoffed to himself, shaking his head. 'Martel must really care for her brother, because from the way Yuan talks about her, she is still trying to get Yggdrasil to stop his insanity.' Sighing softly, Lloyd shook his head as a light splash sounded somewhere behind him, and he asked softly, "Leila, do you think that those who try to forget the past are far more dangerous than those who live only in the past, or is it the other way around?"

"… **You're worried about **_**this**_** again?" **Leila sighed, swimming over to where Lloyd stood, her golden scales glittering under the water. Stopping, she stared up at Lloyd, concern evident in her deep violet eyes. **"Lloyd, the only reason that Yggdrasil acts like he does is because he has nobody that he can truly trust to love and care for him. … You're not like him; you have your Mistress, the silver haired gaki –"**

"Wait, Genis knows about you?" Lloyd demanded, sending Leila a startled look; of all the things he could have growled at her for, she had expected him to hiss at her calling Sheena his "Mistress". Leila snorted something and shrugged in a way that only dragons could. **"Yes, he knows; but I've already stated that if his sister finds out about me, he is going to be my meatshield until someone knocks her out."** Lloyd chuckled at that, and Leila grinned wickedly before finishing, **"And don't forget, Yuan K****ā****fei – aggravating as he is –is behind you every step of the way. And knowing your sire and dam, they're worried sick about you no matter what happens to you."** Shaking water off of her as she leapt out of the water and onto the nearby shore, Leila finished softly; **"And if that fails to convince you, you've got me, and I've got you, alright, gaki? If you forget that, I'll find all sorts of painful ways to remind you so that it sticks, you hear?"**

Lloyd couldn't help himself, and a soft smile the likes of which Leila rarely saw crossed the teen's face, making him seem more like the human that was trapped inside his seemingly heartless exterior. "Thanks, Leila; I needed to hear that." He told the dragon, lifting himself out of the water. After drying himself off, he looked towards the rising sun and commented softly, "I saw him in my sleep; my father, I mean." Leila looked out at him in curiosity, and softly, Lloyd whispered, "It makes me laugh when people say that he was a demon or a god; they simply weren't there to see the side of him that was human. They didn't bother trying to find the weak points in his exterior." Leila nodded.

"**Still, you got to admit that the one song by the group Leo likes does suit him." **She commented, and was about to lift herself onto her haunches to sing when Lloyd shook his head at her and pointed to the wing pack; he could hear someone approaching the springs. Leila grumbled and entered the pack just as Raine poked her head around the stones. After seeing that Lloyd was wearing nothing more than a towel, the half-elf blushed severely and retreated her gaze back to the other side of the stone, embarrassed.

'Definitely a heartbreaker …' Raine thought, and said softly, "Lloyd, breakfast is ready; please come out once you are fully dressed." After a moment, Raine heard Lloyd chuckle lightly, and his response was ripe with amusement. "Alright, alright; I was just about to dress when you came along and peeked." Raine blushed bright red, and momentarily forgot herself as she turned around and glared directly at Lloyd.

"Now you see here, Lloyd Auri – ah!" Once she realized that Lloyd had discarded the towel in favor of his boxers, his hands pulling his tight black pants towards him, Raine felt her face burn bright red from humiliation and embarrassment, and she ducked out of sight as Lloyd finally gave in to his inner-Leila and burst out into laughter as he pulled on his pants. A moment later, he walked out from behind his stone shelter, pulling on a sleeveless, tight, navy blue button down shirt, a pair of black and red gauntlets covering his arms from his elbows to his hands, the left one possessing a gap where his Exsphere poked through.

"You know, Raine, I never took you for a closet peeper." Lloyd teased as he did up the last button on his shirt. As Raine spluttered and glared, he shrugged and pulled on a red and black duster, which appeared to be made out of woven mythril. Curious about how the garment had been made, Raine reached out to touch it, only for Lloyd to stop her. "I wouldn't touch this if I were you; it's made from the hide of a Fire Warrior, and the only reason it doesn't burn me is because my uncle put protection spells on the inside. You touch the outside, however, and you will get severely burned." After hearing such, Raine pulled her hand back at a rapid pace, and she simply walked alongside Lloyd as the brunet restored his swords not to his sides, but rather in a special holster across his back.

"Your uncle must be good with magic." She commented after a moment, to which Lloyd shrugged.

"He is another elemental; lightning, to be exact." Lloyd commented, shoving his hands into his pockets as they neared the campsite, thoughts elsewhere. He didn't need to be looking at Raine to know that she was trying to probe him for more information about his past. 'She already knows too much about me; I can't let her find out too much more too easily.' Lloyd thought to himself, blinking after a moment to regain his stoic façade before they reached the campsite. He could see that Genis had finally woken up, and from the way he was talking to Colette, was ready to head back to the main land. After a moment of thought, Lloyd commented, "After this, we should return to the mainland; did Remiel say where the next seal laid?"

Raine, suspicious by the sudden change in topic, narrowed her eyes and sent Lloyd a suspicious glance. Lloyd returned it with his ever stoic one. "Yes, he did; he mentioned 'A place where the air flowed freely above the earth, unharnessed and endless'." Raine finally replied after a moment, to which Lloyd arched an eyebrow. "If you have any idea of what he was talking about, please let us know; my money is on it being the Asgard Wind Dais." Lloyd didn't respond right away, but Raine could see a disdainful look in his eyes. Feeling slightly miffed, Raine commented as she sat, "The Book of Spiritua wasn't much help, and Colette consulted it shortly after we made camp last night."

"I never suggested that you didn't." Lloyd replied tartly, to which Raine scowled once again. Ignoring her, Lloyd sat down and accepted the omelet that Colette had offered him; from the texture and the smell, it had vegetables in it. Slightly worried, the brunet prodded it, and after a moment, opened it with a knife, unaware that the others in the group were staring at him in confusion. To the brunet's horror, he could clearly see the red … _things_ that he despised almost as much as Desians. Grimly, Lloyd used his knife to flick the pieces of tomato out of his omelet.

"Uhhh, Lloyd?" Is something wrong??" Colette asked, to which Lloyd looked up at her, a scowl on his face. Worried that she had somehow upset him, Colette was about to apologize when Lloyd said simply; "I _despise_ tomatoes." The tone of voice he used to say such a thing made the group shiver, and they all agreed with themselves to never give Lloyd anything with tomatoes like that again. Once he was certain that all of the tomato bits were gone, Lloyd ate half of his omelet, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. Putting aside his plate when his omelet was halfway eaten, Lloyd was about to suggest they head back for Thoda when a shape loomed behind Colette. Startled, he leapt at it and drew his left handed sword in the same motion. Without stopping, the brunet shoved Colette to the side and managed to remove the arm of a Palmacosta militia man, who screamed in horror.

Sickened, Lloyd placed one boot on the man's chest and held his sword at his neck. "So, it seems that things aren't well in the Palmacosta militia … tell me, is Dorr doing what I think he is doing?" Lloyd asked after a moment, voice cold. Colette had managed to get over to where Raine and Genis sat, both of the siblings too stunned to do anything. The militia man did nothing but chuckle darkly once he looked at Lloyd's face.

"Why did I expect any less from the Phoenix of Luin?" he asked after a moment, making Lloyd stiffen. Looking dead into the brunet's face, he commented, "Like father, like son, after all; why should the son of a demon be any less than one himself?" Startled, the three looked at Lloyd, only to see pure fury grown on his face as the man continued, "Why the church of Martel allows the Chosen of Mana to be guarded by such a abomination …" Looking up at Lloyd, a dark grin worked its way onto the man's face. "You reek of blood, Demonsion; go back to Hell wh—" Whatever else the man had to say was cut off as Lloyd suddenly sliced off his head, the fury in his face nearly tangible.

Turning around, Lloyd looked at the three before him; they all had scared looks on their faces, not that he could blame them: he could feel the blood on his face drying as it was. "Pack up; I believe that there's something major going on in Palmacosta that will put the Chosen in danger, and we should see to it immediately." Lloyd said coldly, regaining his normally stoic expression as he turned back to the body. After a moment's thought, he extended one hand again. "Purgatory Ashes." At his voice, flames that did not smoke rose up from the ground and consumed the corpse, leaving no physical traces of the body save for the blood left behind.

"_Why should the son of a demon be any less than one himself?"_ Gritting his teeth over the comment, Lloyd looked at the other three; they were still staring at him in horror. "Do you want another attack like that to come? MOVE!" Perhaps it was the blood on his face, or perhaps it was the tone of his voice, Lloyd couldn't tell, but even Raine had flow into action.

"_You reek of blood, Demonsion; go back to hell …"_ Lloyd grimaced again, and he replaced the sword across his back; did the foolish mortal not know that there were worse demons than him behind the shadows of their world?

-鳳-

_Demonsion; son of the demon_

_Okay, chapters are going to get slightly darker from here on out. The whole "War Demon/War God" thing going on with Kratos and Lloyd will be explained as the chapters progress._

_Look for "_**The War Demon's Son part II"**_**,**__ sometime soon._

_Review!_


	17. The War Demon's Son part II

_Hello~! For those of you who were questioning the whole "War Demon" moinker *to quote Infinite Freedom* came from, do not fret! I shall begin the explanation here~!_

**17. The War Demon's Son part II**

-鳳-

Lloyd's eyes were narrowed as he and Genis paddled their washtub through the fog. After the Palmacosta militia man had appeared behind the Chosen, halberd raised, Lloyd had wondered if there wasn't something going on between both the Desians and the government of Palmacosta. Even if there was, attacking Colette – attacking the Chosen of Mana – made absolutely no sense. The fact that he had called Kratos the "War Demon" had gotten under Lloyd's skin, and was the reason the man had been killed so quickly. 'Perhaps I should have asked him if there was something going on that we needed to know about …'He thought, only to shake his head and slowly paddle on towards the dock that he could just faintly see looming ahead.

Glancing behind him, Lloyd called out to the mist. "Are you two alright back there? The dock is just ahead." After a moment, Raine's voice called back with a sickly "yes," so the brunet didn't worry about it too much, and instead focused on paddling towards the dock himself. He hadn't spoken a word with Genis, mainly because he was simply trying to concentrate on getting himself and his companions back to the Thoda Dock before anything else commanded his attention. But just as this thought crossed his mind, Lloyd felt Genis shift next to him, and he was prepared for when the young half-elf finally asked him, "Lloyd? Why did that man call your father … a demon?" When Lloyd didn't respond right away, Genis pressed on with, "I'm just asking because you seemed really angry about it, and I don't think that you're the sort of person who would kill someone over a simple insult …" Genis cut himself off when Lloyd shook his head.

Waiting a moment, Lloyd glanced to the right and saw that Raine and Colette's tub was parallel with theirs. Once he was certain that both of them could hear him just as well as Genis could, the brunet began. "… My father was a powerful warrior; from what I can vaguely recall, he often would fight off a small squadron of Desians by himself with his sword and his magic. He had an Exsphere that he stole from a Desian, but even without it, the common rumor in the northern part of the world was that he could kill just as many Desians without one." Letting the statement sink in briefly, Lloyd sighed and shook his head. "And if you just so happened to be unfortunate enough to get him angry, you would be lucky if you died swiftly, Spirits willing. It was apparently about as bad as watching a demon rampaging on a town …"

"Lloyd, why did you mention the Spirits?" Raine asked after a moment, leaping on the newest bit of interesting change that she could possibly use against Lloyd in the future. "Most people swear by Martel, or under the soul of Mithos the Hero." Lloyd gave Raine a very dry, emotionless stare as she finished.

"I do not believe in Martel." Lloyd said simply after a moment, eliciting a sea of gasps from his companions. Unfazed, he added, "and Mithos is dead; why begrudge the man his peace after a lifetime of fighting against what he thought was unjust? The Spirits are everywhere, and they watch over every aspect of this world … I do not doubt that you know of the Eight Elementals, and possibly of Maxwell, but there are others that not even some of the most well known scholars know of. But that is another topic for another time," Lloyd cut himself off, earning a disappointed glare from Raine – it seemed she had been intrigued by the topic – and stated simply, "and to answer Genis' question about my father's 'nickname'" he hissed out the last word, "to those that saw my father fight, angry or not, was supposed to be horrifying, even if you were on his side."

Sighing softly, Lloyd whispered, "And he didn't really … look human, for that matter, not completely." Hearing Colette's soft questioning noise, the brunet stated, "Chosen, before you met me, would you believe that any mortal would have red eyes?" All of the others fell silent, and Lloyd interpreted the silence correctly. "Exactly my point; to the people of Palmacosta and Asgard, and to some of the residents of Luin, my father seemed more like a _demon_ than a human. His indifference to killing only seemed to make those who whispered about it more right than those who believed him to be human." Stopping for a moment, Lloyd looked out towards the mist, and even Raine saw the pain flicker clearly across Lloyd's eyes. "But … my father couldn't have _been _much more human than he was. He had just been so used to the sight of battle and blood from a rather young age – he was caught in a bandit raid at five, and started sword lessons at ten – and he had learned how to hide it."

"No demon would've fought Desians to protect his infant child …" Lloyd finished, closing his eyes with a sigh. The others didn't bother to break the silence that had fallen on the boat, for they were too wrapped up in their thoughts to do so. The things that Lloyd had told them chilled them to the bone, and at the same time, they saddened Colette; especially his last sentence. 'How could anyone think that a parent could be a demon?' She wondered, looking away from Lloyd as she helped Raine – who seemed to be distracted even from her hydrophobia – and stared into the water. 'Did the Desians kill Lloyd's father, I wonder …'

As the thought crossed Colette's mind, a glimmer of sapphire and violet at the corner of her vision snagged Colette's attention. Turning to look, she stifled a gasp at the sight; the ghost of Lloyd's father was hovering nearby, looking towards the mainland with a look that could only be described as dangerous. _'And again, the waters are turned red from innocent blood.'_ He growled deeply, although only Colette seemed to hear him. _'One of the days, I am certain that it will pollute the waters permanently, and then nothing would be able to live …'_

"Colette, why have you stopped paddling …" Raine asked, only to cut herself off as she too, for the first time, saw the spirit. About to let out a scream, the half-elven woman found her mouth being covered by Colette; startled, she watched as Colette raised a finger to her lips for silence. Figuring that the ghost would vanish if someone spoke to it or called attention to its presence, Raine fell silent and watched him as well.

It seemed that Kratos' ghost was unaware that he was being watched, for he scowled and said with soft savagery, _'How many did they murder this time? How many parents lost a child or more, and how many children are now orphans to this madness? Are the stains on the road as deep as they were the night when it rained blood, are there any consciences that are crying out in agony over this, are there any souls begging to be cleansed of this wretched sin? Will this crimson veil never fade?'_ A shiver ran down both female's spines as the ghost vanished, and Colette nearly choked on her breath; she could just faintly smell blood in the air, and her suddenly enhanced hearing could just faintly hear the clashing of weapons in the distance.

It seemed that Lloyd heard it as well. "Be careful when we land; it seems that the Desians have attacked the pilgrims at the docks." He stated, making the others tense slightly. "We will most likely have to fight plenty of Desians when we land, so be ready." Raine and Genis both nodded immediately, and Colette did so after a moment. As their washtubs drifted closer to the dock, the group put aside their paddles and silently drew their weapons, Lloyd and Genis both gathering mana to use spells as soon as they landed. Raine tightened her grip on her staff, and a quick glance at Colette showed that she had her chakrams at the ready. The shapes of Desians loomed in the foreground through the fog, and now screaming was heard loud and clear.

The second after their washtub hit the deck, Lloyd sprang out of it, Genis following suit a half second later – Lloyd had far better reflexes than the half-elf. With a loud double cry of "Eruption", the two drew their blades and dove into the first Desians they saw, the flames from the Eruption spells burning away the fog. Startled, the armored half-elves fell to the sides as Lloyd cut through them with ease, Genis occupying them from below and sending off the basic spells. When Raine and Colette managed to scramble ashore, the two began to help Lloyd and Genis, along with helping the few survivors.

The attack was over within five minutes. Within that time, only one of the Desians was left alive, and was being held at sword point by a blood covered Lloyd. "Y – you!" The Desian gasped, trembling hard enough to drop his sword. "Lord Magnius said that you weren't in the area!" Seemingly frantic, the half-elf backed up, only to find himself up against the wall of the Thoda rest house. Lloyd stepped towards him again, and placed the edge of his blade directly beneath the man's chin, forcing him to meet Lloyd's wine red eyes.

"So … you just thought that a nice little Palmacosta-Thoda raid was just what was needed to bring me back, is that it?" Lloyd asked coldly, making the Desian shiver in fear as Lloyd continued to back him up against the wall. About ready to injure the man, Lloyd turned his head as the sole conscious survivor moved away from Raine and walked over towards him, a hand extending outwards to rest on his arm. Never moving his sword away from the Desian's neck, Lloyd asked softly, "Cacao, why are you all the way out here? I thought that you and Chocolat had the shop to run still." The woman – Cacao – gave Lloyd a worried look, the tattered remains of her shawl starting to slip off of her shoulders.

"Chocolat was sent on a pilgrimage, but she was … captured along with the majority of her tour yesterday." She explained softly, her eyes looking far more tired than Lloyd had ever seen them before. "I came out here because I heard the rumors that you were with the Chosen's group, and I came with those who wanted to go and visit the Thoda Geyser …" With a soft sigh, Cacao looked around at the majority of the carnage, eyes filling with tears at the sight of her fellow civilians lying dead and bloodied on the ground. There were a couple others alive, both of them being tended to by a rapidly paling Raine. "I know it might be too much to ask, but please, could you go and help her? After losing my mother, Chocolat … hasn't exactly been the most sensible person." Lloyd didn't react for a moment, but eventually removed his sword from the Desian's neck. Before the man could move, however, Lloyd rapidly backhanded him with the hilt of his sword, rendering him unconscious.

As the armor clad body dropped to the ground, Colette and Genis turned to look at the brunet in shock. Seeing the looks, Lloyd knelt beside the Desian and lifted him up with a grunt. "I need to ask him some things, but it would be best if I did so a good distance away; neither of you are old enough to hear this sort of thing." Raine, who was listening nearby, shuddered as she realized that Lloyd was implying that he was about to torture the Desian they had captive. Without turning to look at her, Lloyd told the healer, "Raine, rest; the survivors just need rest and perhaps a couple of gels, and you're almost dead on your feet. Stay in the House of Salvation, and I will be back soon." Turning to Cacao, Lloyd said softly, "Cacao, stay with them; they will make sure that no harm comes to you tonight." Cacao nodded in understanding, and Lloyd finally walked off with the Desian in tow.

After entering the House of Savlation and explaining to the girl who lent out the washtubs what had happened, the four sat upstairs in one of the rooms, Cacao sitting in a comfortable chair with a blanket over her and the other two survivors of the attack being placed in the beds by Raine and Colette while Genis washed off the blood that had splashed onto him during the fight against the Desians. As Raine did one last check up on the slightly more worrisome survivor, Colette handed Cacao a mug of warm tea, earning a smile from the woman. "Thank you, Chosen one." She said softly, reaching out and patting the girl's cheek. "It is nice to see that you are well, despite all of the danger you must be in on your journey for those of us who only wait for the prayer of hope to become reality." Colette blushed faintly under the praise, and she was about to respond when all of the conscious people in the room heard a faint scream in the distance, making Raine and Colette look out the window in worry and horror. Cacao simply sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes, this is the only way for one to learn things from a Desian." There seemed to be something bothering her, because the brunet woman said softly, "His father knew this as well, but perhaps that is what made everyone so afraid of him."

"Lloyd's father … was this the reason why he was called the War Demon?" Raine asked softly, catching Cacao's attention. The brunet woman sighed softly and gave a slight nod of her head, her deep brown eyes distant and unfocused. "I must ask, seeing as how so many people from Palmacosta know of Lloyd's family, was … is Palmacosta his hometown?" Cacao looked up at Raine and gave a faint smile at the half-elf's query.

"He and his parents lived on the outskirts of the city, in a small little house with a little garden off to one side. His parents were so polite and nice, and they would always help out if there was need." She explained, smiling to herself. "Governor-General Sigurd worked with Lloyd's father to start up the Palmacosta militia, and Lloyd's mother, Anna, helped with whatever she could. She was a seamstress, and made blankets for the local orphanage every midwinter." The woman sighed again, and she said wistfully, "It is really such a shame that they left the city when Lloyd was only two years old; they were such the picture perfect family." Anything else that Cacao was about to say was cut off as a horrendous scream ripped through the air, making everyone shudder in horror. Within a few moments, Lloyd entered the room, absently wiping blood off of his face with a cloth, his face set in a grim expression.

Turning to Cacao, the brunet asked softly, "Cacao, do you happen to have anything that could possibly belong to Chocolat on you?" Before Raine could ask Lloyd why he needed something like that, Cacao had pulled out a neckerchief, which Lloyd took quickly. "Thank you … now, where did I … Ah! There." With a satisfied noise, Lloyd stopped digging around in his backpack, and quickly drew out what appeared to be a large, flat compass* and settled it onto the floor just as Genis exited from the nearby bathroom. Curious, the younger half-elf knelt close to Lloyd, staring as the brunet placed the square of cloth on it, and mana gathered around his hand in a glowing, flickering light.

"_Path of fire, bridge of air, anchorless land, rising seas, light thine way to that which binds the occult."_ He began, his voice hauntingly deep and dark, shadows dancing in his eyes as the compass began to glow, the eight semi-precious stones that made up its outer ring starting to glow faintly. Raine's eyes widened in amazement, and she leaned in as well, her breath leaving her as Lloyd continued, _"Well of ice, spring of shadows, crackling lightning, blinding light, illuminate thine veil and show which way thine must go!"_ The compass was glowing brightly at this point, the light forming around it the same color as Lloyd's brilliant aura. _"By the will of thine king, show me the way, be it to Vinheim, Manheim, Midgard, Niflehim or Hel!"_ Finishing the incantation, Lloyd removed his hand, and the light that emanated from the compass condensed into a solid beam, going straight up from what Raine assumed was a faux diamond in the center, passing straight through the neckerchief as if it weren't even there. Lloyd stared intently at the glowing piece of fabric, and the light the compass was letting off, the glowing colors reflected in his wine red eyes, which appeared to be bottomless wells of molten rubies. Colette stood a good distance off, her eyes wide in shock; the level of power emanating from the compass was extraordinary!

"Chocolat is … alive." Lloyd said after a moment, startling the others into looking at him. The brunet seemed to be in a trance, as his eyes were half-lidded and distant, as if he was attempting to see a great distance. "I cannot say as much for any of the others at the ranch, but she is fine; they have yet to even place an Exsphere on her body. But the Desians are restless …" pulling the square of cloth off of the compass, Lloyd let the light die down, the mana flowing back into his body. "If we don't leave at first light tomorrow, then they will most likely have an Exsphere on her, along with a good chunk of whoever they took from Palmacosta." Suppressing a sudden yawn, Lloyd rose, put away his compass and began to pull out his sleeping bag. "We should rest now: raiding the ranch will be dangerous in of itself." Raine nodded, and as the younger children pulled out their sleeping bags, she helped Cacao to the free bed, her mind working away. Glancing at Lloyd once the rest were settled, Raine sighed and undid her own bedroll, her mind too tired to work on anything else, but a sole thought worked her way into her mind.

'He is able to be so calm after torturing a man like that? … Could Lloyd really be a demon?' Before she could contemplate the thought too much longer, slumber overtook Raine's mind, and she slipped into the sleeping bag without a second thought.

-鳳-

The next morning, the four were already awake and heading towards the Palmacosta ranch, Lloyd in the lead. They had left Cacao and the two other survivors at the House of Salvation, with directions given by Lloyd and enforced by Colette that they were not to be bothered unless one of them was in critical condition; if the raid went well, they would come back for them and take them back to Palmacosta. At the moment, however, Raine, Colette, and Genis were all looking around in worry, while Lloyd led them quietly up towards the base. There was a scowl on the brunet's face. "Such lax security; they always get like this after a successful raid, when it's at moments like this where they need tight security the most." Raine couldn't help but notice the disdain in Lloyd's voice as she spoke, and the half-elf watched warily as Lloyd lead them to the entrance.

There were only a few guards standing outside the gate, the majority of them either bowmen or whip users. There was a sole magic user, which Lloyd pointed out immediately. "He needs to be taken out immediately; the key will most likely be in his possession." Genis nodded, and began an incantation under his breath while Lloyd led Colette towards the two nearest bowmen. "When Genis uses his spell, pick a target and attack; show no mercy, for you will receive none." Lloyd whispered in her ear, making the blond blush as she nodded. Just as she selected her target, Genis' voice cried out with, "Spread!" The unprepared sorcerer let out a loud curse as the pillar of water shot up from beneath him, catching the others off guard. As soon as the bowman's head turned, Lloyd rushed at him.

"Beast!" Slamming into the bowman, Lloyd formed a large, crimson wolf head out of his mana, and a threatening howl echoed throughout the air as the bowman was sent flying into a nearby swordsman, knocking them both down. Colette attacked her target with her chakrams, a cry of "Angel Feathers" leaving her as her wings flared into life. The cries of "The Chosen One" caught her attention briefly, but she was soon busy taking care of other Desians, watching as Genis charged out and attacked one, kodachi flashing in his hands. Raine appeared at the corner of her vision, slamming the sharpened steel spike on the end of her staff into an attacking Desian's crotch. The cry of pain that he let out was not missed by Lloyd, who was watching as well as he cut through another Desian.

'Note to self; when I do my job, make sure to avoid the staff-wielding nutcase.' Lloyd thought to himself, earning a bout of laughter from Leila. **"Ain't that the truth, boy!?"** She teased him, **"Your Mistress would pitch such a fit, and there'd be no way to help you out, an-"** Leila cut herself off as Lloyd gave her a mental glare. **"Shutting up now; whipper behind you!"** The dragon commented, making Lloyd turn on one foot to drive his sword through the attacking man's small intestines. Not wanting to risk the man attacking again, Lloyd drew the sword upwards, not even wincing when hot blood splashed onto his face. After he reached the man's collarbone, he withdrew the blade and leapt away; nobody could survive such a wound, even with a healer present. As the Desian fell, he looked up at Lloyd and growled.

"Damned demon … … Bu … burn …" Lloyd managed to retain his temper at the insult, and simply stared at the man as he died slowly, the blood on his face drying slowly, matching his eyes to the hue. More blood ran down the length of his blade, slowly dripping down to the earth besides Lloyd's boot-shod feet, along with the blood that leaked from the dying Desian's body. After a moment, Lloyd stood up and walked over to the remains of the sorcerer, whose left arm had been removed by a well-placed Air Blade spell, and began rummaging through the remains of his clothing.

Genis, Colette, and Raine all stared at Lloyd and the corpses around them, stunned; Lloyd had caused much of the damage, but he acted as calm and collected as he always had, never mind the blood on his face was probably all clammy and sticky by that point. Raine was unable to suppress the shiver that raced down her spine. 'If Lloyd is like this at not even eighteen, what was his father like?' She asked herself mentally, then remembered what Lloyd had said earlier about his father. 'Where was his father from that was attacked in such a way? Or did he happen to mean that the village was attacked by Desians?' a sudden, grave thought crossed her mind. 'Does this immunity to bloodshed run in the family?' Before she could ponder the subject long, however, Raine's attention was snapped back to Lloyd when he let out a satisfied noise and rose, the gate key in hand.

Stepping towards the gate, Lloyd turned to look at the others and said calmly, "Be on guard; the Desians will most likely attack in full force once we get inside." Genis and Colette both nodded grimly, and Raine simply gripped her staff tighter, shaking her head to clear away distracting thoughts; demon, half demon, or human, Lloyd knew what he was doing here, and that was all that mattered at the moment. Once he saw that the other three were ready, Lloyd tightened his grip on his left handed sword while he unlocked the gate with his right, the unneeded sword in its holster. Genis and Colette snuck up closer to the brunet as he opened the gate rapidly, smashing an unexpected Desian in between it and the electric fence. Startled, her comrades had no time to react as Lloyd, Colette, and Genis all charged, their weapons flashing in the air. Raine stood back a good ways and cast aiding spells, only attacking if someone came near her until one Desian charged at Genis from behind; Lloyd was surrounded by a small circle of Desians, but had noticed as well, and was busy trying to hack his way through them to get to his apprentice.

He wouldn't be able to get to Genis in time, Raine realized after a moment, dread taking over her stomach. Eyes narrowing sharply, she tried to cast Barrier, but the mana changed on her before she noticed it, and the attacking Desian was suddenly encased in a double loop of brilliant yellow and white runes, which seemed to be causing him pain. Before Raine could react, a rapidly condensing orb of white light condensed on the Desian before imploding, killing the man. Lloyd's low whistle of approval told her that he was – slightly – impressed, and she turned to look at him with wide eyes as she tried to comprehend what spell she had just used on the man. After a few more moments, all of the Desians in the courtyard lay dead. Lloyd turned to Raine and nodded. "Photon's a useful spell to know." He said simply, but Raine felt immensely complimented. Nodding, she and the other three followed Lloyd as the brunet simply kicked the door in, bracing themselves for more Desians to charge out at them.

To their shock, the Desians in the room straight ahead were either dead or dying, as a pair of Palmacosta militia men and a caramel haired girl wearing a tour guide's outfit hacked away at them, the blades of their halberds bloodied. The tour guide noticed them first, and she stopped to grin ruefully at Lloyd. "About time, Phoenix! We heard you were coming, so we decided to lend a little bit of a hand, and Neil managed to open the side entrance!" She stated, her voice somehow carrying over the sounds of steel meeting steel. Lloyd rolled his eyes; leave it to Chocolat to be this cheery about fighting Desians. Looking over his shoulder, the brunet nodded to the other three, and they too joined in the chaos.

After about fifteen intense moments of fighting, the majority of the Desians on the floor were dead, and the Chosen's group was standing in the room that connected to the chamber where the captured humans were stored and the portal that lead to the rest of the ranch, including the control area. Neil had joined them, wielding a rapier that was as just as bloody as Lloyd's twin katanas. Chocolat stood near him, the halberd in her hands resting lightly on the ground; all six people were sweaty and drenched in blood. Lloyd turned to look at Neil and Chocolat, saying softly, "Alright, can you two get the surviving captives out of the Ranch?" When the two nodded, Lloyd turned to look at Raine, Genis, and Colette. "We should head up to the control room and take care of Magnius; if we don't then there will surely be another attack on Palmacosta soon." Genis felt a tremor race through him, but he nodded in agreement to the older boy's thoughts. Colette and Raine remained silent, although they too nodded in agreement.

With that, the two groups split off from one another. Lloyd ruthlessly cut down anyone who came at the group he was leading as they raced up the multiple floors to the control room. There were being careful not to slip off of the narrow walkways; Colette had already done so once or twice, her wings catching her before she fell too far. "Confusing as all hell, a long fall if we slip … this has Kvar written all over it." Lloyd growled. Raine looked at him in confusion. "Lloyd, isn't the name of this ranch's leader Magnius?" She asked, to which Lloyd nodded and responded with, "True, but a former Desian cardinal by the name of Kvar helped with the layout of the ranches; this seems like some of his work. I met him once in person shortly …" Lloyd's eyes narrowed as he beheaded another Desian that came at the group, watching the body fall over the edge of the narrow walkway with hatred clearly visible on his face. Colette gave him a worried look.

"When did you meet him?" She asked softly, reaching out to place a hand on Lloyd's arm. To her shock, the brunet jerked his arm away from her, and she looked to see that there was a large, pale scar that ran along the back of his arm. It looked like something had clawed at his arm, and from the way the scar was stretched out, Lloyd appeared to have had it for a long time. Looking at him again, Colette reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Lloyd, please, tell us …" She said softly, only for Lloyd to being walking away from her, stone silent as he ran to intercept another Desian. Before the others could react, Lloyd turned to face them, his eyes narrowed and dangerous.

"Kvar is the one responsible for the deaths of my parents; I normally do not wish damnation upon anyone, but he truly deserves to burn in _Mugenjigoku._" The brunet's voice went dangerous on the last word, making Raine shiver; not only was the word most likely a reference to the lowest level of hell, but the blood that was splashed onto the brunet's face had completely dried, the color being only slightly darker than his eyes. The half-elf was starting to understand why Lloyd's father had been considered a demon; his hair had been as red as his eyes, and if he could take out around twenty Desians on his own, she would consider the man a demon as well. Shivering, she picked up her staff and followed the brunet and the younger travelers, both of her eyes narrowed on Lloyd; she would have to keep both of her eyes on him now, especially if he did turn out to be some sort of Yōkai, fallen angel or something to that extent.

Fortunately, the floor that they warped to next had only one warp panel, and it was shaped differently than the others ones. Raine resisted the urge to run over to the thing and examine it with all of her will, figuring that Lloyd wanted to get out of the ranch as soon as he was consciously able to do so. Never mind the fact that he had been rather irate when she had been fawning over the refresher that they had found and used about ten minutes earlier, relieving some of their fatigue. "This most likely leads to the control room; we need to be more on our guard than ever now." Lloyd stated solemnly, his eyes darting in all directions out of a rather clean face. (Raine had insisted that they all clean up slightly when they were at the refresher, which puzzled Lloyd as they would simply get covered in more blood later on, but he did as he was told.) Genis nodded and stood almost directly behind the brunet, panting slightly; this was the longest he had gone without taking a good long break somewhere in the middle, and it was taxing his stamina. Colette wasn't much better off, for all that she had tripped again and fell a good fifty feet before she managed to slow herself down and fly up again. Raine was also rather weary, but she was forcing herself to focus on the battle ahead, feeling very grateful for having learned Photon when she had; it had proven very useful so far.

With a nod to the others, Lloyd stepped onto the warp panel, reappearing in Magnius' control room. Colette and Genis arrived together, with Raine following them a second or so later. As they looked around, a sneering voice reached their ears with a taunt. _"So, it seems that the forsaken Chosen and her companions have finally decided to arrive."_ While Genis, Raine and Colette all startled and began looking around to see who had spoken, Lloyd let out a low growl, his eyes flashing. Inside the wing pack, Leila growled in agreement, her tail swishing around her as she forced herself to remain concealed within the pack. Shortly after the words had been spoken, an odd, somehow gravity ignorant chair appeared before them from above, a red haired half-elf sitting in it, a smug smirk written on his face. "Ah, and Phoenix of Hell himself comes to call; too bad Kvar isn't alive for me to send the Angelus project to … along with your head." The half-elf taunted upon seeing Lloyd; the brunet growled dangerously and glared death at the half-elf before him.

"And you're just as disgusting as ever, Magnius." He stated in a frighteningly calm manner, making Raine look at him in worry. A smirk slowly worked its way onto Lloyd's face. "And it seems that you still remember the last time we met; how many men of yours did I burn into oblivion before you retreated again? I always forget." He taunted, making Magnius scowl at him in return. Lloyd chuckled darkly. "Ah, that's right … about five squadrons … too bad, no?" Raine's worried look turned to one of downright horror; Lloyd had … _burned_ fifty men to death!? Magnius scowled again, but grinned brightly and stood just as the two portals on either side of the room lit up, Desians pouring out to surround the group. Raine, Colette and Genis all spun around, worried. Lloyd simply gave the Desians a glance before turning back to Magnius and smirking darkly.

"Do you honestly want me to repeat that incident again, Magnius?" He asked smoothly, already beginning to gather the necessary mana for one of his more destructive attacks. Magnius scowled at him, showing all of his teeth in a rather dangerous way. Lloyd smirked in return; and a flicker of red mana danced in front of him. "Very well; you'll be joining them in hell soon enough." Before Raine could stop the boy, he had extended his swords out to either side, mana flying from him as he stated in a condemning voice, "_Shousen_ _Naraku: Konmei no Homura!"_ In the flicker of an eyelash, all hell broke loose as black, crimson, and red-orange flames sprang into existence with a deafening roar, which barely covered the screams of the engulfed Desians, who were slowly being burnt to death. Colette and Genis looked to their sides in downright horror, while Raine watched Lloyd with wide eyes.

'He called up hellfire …' She thought grimly, her eyes narrowing as Lloyd lowered his swords, extinguishing the flames through some method or another. Her opinion on Lloyd's humanity – or lack thereof – was starting to grow worse with every moment she spent in his company, and the hellfire he had just used set her on edge. Lloyd simply kept his eyes locked on Magnius, who was now standing up, his hands gripping a large, grotesque looking battle axe while he settled a shield on his left arm. Lloyd finally broke the rather eerie silence that had settled once the flames had left with a slight, ominous chuckle. "So, you finally stop hiding and come out to fight yourself? There seems to be some bravery left in the Desians yet, although I would rather that there wasn't." He said coldly, a few left over bursts of hellfire wafting over one of his swords. "If I am Hel's Phoenix, than I wonder what you are, Magnius … Lucifer's personal fire demon?" To the groups shock, Lloyd leapt aside just as Magnius' axe jabbed straight at him, beginning the battle.

"You … little piece of mortal Vermin!!! You will pay for this!" Magnius roared, swinging at Lloyd again, seemingly unaware of the fact that the other three were in the room until Genis managed to hit him on his open side with a Aqua Laser spell. Roaring again, the large man turned around, only to be assaulted by a Photon blast combination from Raine and Colette, stunning the man and knocking him back into Lloyd just as the brunet slammed into him with another Beast attack. Magnius retaliated by slamming into Lloyd with his own beast attack, save for his mana turned into the shape of a vermilion hellhound's head instead of a wolf's. Lloyd grunted and flew backwards, hitting the far wall. Staggering as he landed, he cursed the fact that Konmei no Homura took so long for his mana to recover from. True, the spell was handy, but the hellfire was harder to summon than it appeared.

Pushing such thoughts aside, Lloyd waited until Magnius' back was turned before channeling up another burst of mana. "Ryuusei!" He hollered, and a pillar of white hot flames fired from his extended sword, striking Magnius in the back and leaving very severe third degree burns in its wake. Once the half-elf turned to him, enraged, Genis, Raine, and Colette all struck out with their weapons, the blades either piercing, slashing, or gouging wounds open around the burned flesh, making Magnius roar in pain. Lloyd took the opportunity to his advantage and launched a Tempest attack at the man, slashing both of his shoulders before he landed beyond him on his feet, swords at his sides. Turning around, Lloyd was just in time to see Genis being smashed aside by the flat of Magnius' axe, sending the boy flying into the far wall at a much faster pace than Lloyd had flown, dropping his kodachi in the air. The young half-elf hit the wall and was rendered unconscious, blood beginning to leak from a cut on the side of his head.

Rage began to seep its way into Lloyd's mind; true, he didn't make friends easily, but Genis was one of them; seeing him being hurt so severely made Lloyd's temper flare into life, and he launched himself at Magnius again, this time blocking the Desian's Beast attack with his own. The two different manas canceled one another out, and Lloyd went straight into his next attack. "Kokuhyou Tsume!" The mana that built up around his blade slashed Magnius' shield arm wide open, but the man was unable to holler in pain as Raine began to attack him repetitively with Photon, enraged over her brother's injuries. Colette also unleashed one last Angel Feathers attack as Lloyd finally thrust his sword home through Magnius left kidney, making the man drop to the floor, dying slowly. Without a second thought, Lloyd walked over and knelt beside Genis, summoning up as much mana as he dared in order to use First Aid on the boy. Raine gave him a look before wandering over to the controls and checked the status of the ranch; apart from the corpses of several militia men and a score more of Desian corpses, she turned back to the others as Lloyd hoisted Genis onto his back.

"It seems that the refugees and the majority of the militia managed to escape some time ago." She stated, earning a sigh of relief from Colette and a mere nod from Lloyd. Debating with herself for a moment longer, Raine sighed and said softly, "I am planning on setting this ranch to self destruct in fifteen minutes." Colette's eyes went wide in shock, and Lloyd cocked a questioning eyebrow at Raine. "If we're to deal with the Desians in this part of the region, then this will be a strong blow to their stranglehold in this area." Lloyd seemed to understand, and nodded before turning to one of the portals and stepping onto it, Genis in tow. Colette gave Raine one last look before she followed as well. Raine glanced at the projector to see that they were leaving the ranch and nodded to herself when she saw Colette leave the ranch behind Lloyd and her brother before turning to the controls.

While setting the ranch to self destruct, Raine was distracted by her thoughts, and found herself beginning to agree with some of those who called Lloyd a demon. And yet, at the same time, a part of her mind argued that a demon wouldn't care about anyone but themselves, and Lloyd had showed that he cared, especially for her younger brother. Once she hit the final button and the alarms went off, Raine shook her head and ran for the warp panel, stepping lightly over Magnius' prone form as she left. Seconds later, the projector lit up once more, this time revealing the form of a man in an earth green cloak with violet hair. He sneered at Magnius' body. _"Well, well, it seems that Kratos' son managed to get to you, didn't he, Magnius_?"The man laughed haughtily, knowing that he would receive no response. _"Even without the angelus project, you should have been aware of the dangers he could cause, you fool … Enjoy your time in the afterlife!"_ With that, the man disappeared again, leaving the room of the ranch.

-鳳-

Raine had nearly reached the others – she was following cross shaped slashes in the earth left by Lloyd's swords – when the ranch exploded into a dazzling display of lights and colors with a roar that rivaled that of Lloyd's Konmei no Homura. Shivering in fear, the half-elf walked on, only to be confused at the sound of someone crying ahead. When she passed a tree, she saw why; Colette was leaning over the prone, cold form of the tour guide Chocolat, who was surrounded by no less than ten dead Desians and a few militia men. Lloyd stood off to one side, a grim expression wrought over his face as he soothed a horrified Genis, who was clinging to the brunet with trembling arms. Lloyd looked up and sighed at the sight of Raine. "She was just barely alive when we reached her a few moments ago; apparently these were the only Desians that went after the group. She and the men with her stayed behind to guard the pass up to the rest house, giving the others time to flee there." Raine gave the dead body a solemn look before glancing back at Lloyd and kneeling beside it, her eyes picking out several puncture wounds where crossbow bolts had punched clear through her.

Lloyd continued to speak, but it seemed he was addressing the younger two as well. "Her father went down fighting Desians as well, and it was only because of the fact that she needed to help her mother and grandmother with the shop that Chocolat didn't join the militia herself." He commented softly, closing the dead girl's eyes softly. "This must have been a death that she wanted, although I feel pain for her mother. No parent deserves to bury their child like this …" The tone of his voice sent Raine into another mental argument, and the voice that insisted that Lloyd was human chalked up another check for the caring reasoning. The half-elf shook her head in annoyance, and decided to leave it for now. If they were to head out for the rest house the next day, and then to Palmacosta, she couldn't be distracted.

She'd worry about demons and humans later.

-鳳-

*_When I said compass, I was thinking of the type that Syaoran Li from Cardcaptor Sakura uses, not the little handheld ones we're used to._

_Mugenjigoku: Bhuddist hell of eternal, uninterrupted suffering (fitting for Kvar, no?)_

_Shousen __Naraku: Konmei no Homura:__ (Rising up hell: Chaos Blaze) A spell that summons hellfire to engulf whoever Lloyd targets. This is one of the main reasons he earned the title "Phoenix of Luin". _

_Ryuusei: (Dragon breath) This attack sends a burst of white hot flames out at a person at the velocity of being launched from the mouth of a dragon  
_

_Ack, this took forever to write up … X.X Chocholat was killed off due to the fact that since Lloyd didn't know Marble, and this story will turn farther from canon before the Mana Cannon is fired, she has no real need to chew out the mayor, which was perhaps the only real reason she served in the game apart from giving you a road pass if you went to confront Dorr first. So, no more Chocolat. -.- (I hated her anyways) _

_On the other hand, the confrontation with Dorr is next chapter~ and then its onto Asgard, the wind demon, and meeting Sheena-chan again! Ja ne until then~!_


	18. The War Demon's Son part III

**18. The War Demon's Son part III**

-鳳-

_(Welgaia …)  
_"Lord Yggdrasil, it appears that Kratos' son is indeed guarding the Chosen of Mana." Remiel spoke solemnly as he knelt before his leader, barely able to hide a smirk as he thought about the audacity of the child refusing to die. Yggdrasil, seated on his throne, scowled deeply, pressing the tips of his fingers together as he began to ponder the next best course of action. True, he had known that Lloyd had survived the attack on his family, but the news that the boy was the one body guarding the Chosen of Mana did not bode well.

'Did Yuan …?' Yggdrasil wondered briefly, then shook his head after a moment. 'No, perhaps he simply thought the boy was simply a common mercenary, one who would do anything as long as he was paid a decent amount.' With that thought in mind, Yggdrasil rose from his throne and turned to look at Remiel. "Remiel, how strong do you think Lloyd is?" He asked coldly, not bothering to hide his contempt. "Answer me honestly." Remiel gave Yggdrasil a bow, choosing his next words carefully.

"He takes after his father well, Lord Yggdrasil." He stated after a moment, smiling in spite of himself. "It seems that the powers of the War Demon haven't weakened despite the human blood in his child's veins." Yggdrasil's smirk widened, and he began to run his fingers over the arm of his throne, mind working away feverously fast. Remiel, standing nearby, finally managed to summon enough of his own courage to ask, "My lord, what shall we do about this threat?"

"Lloyd is no more a threat to me than any other renegade." Yggdrasil scoffed, waving a hand indifferently in the lesser angel's general direction. "As soon as the Chosen of Mana arrives here, I will simply fetch Lloyd up here to our heavenly city and … _persuade_ him to disregard any unfortunate habits that he might happen to have. After that, he shall fill in his father's place in our world … but not before I break whatever spirit of rebellion lives within him!"

-鳳-

Returning to the House of Guidance where the ranch refugees had fled to didn't take too much longer, but the four were weighed down by the sights of the dead from the ranch and on their way back to the others. Genis was still teary eyed, and he clung to Lloyd's side like the brunet was a parent, unaware of the fact that the only thing that was staying his sister's jealousy was her own exhaustion. Lloyd gave Genis a soft look and placed a hand on his shoulder, wishing that he could somehow make it up to the boy; he had seen too much bloodshed at too young of an age for a child that lived in a small village. Colette wasn't much better off than Genis was, her blue eyes downcast and sad. There was little Lloyd could do for Colette as she hadn't spoken a word to him since they found Chocolat's remains and buried them.

"It was often said during the Kharlan War that the songs of the dead are the laments of the living." Lloyd whispered softly after a moment, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had overtaken them. Pausing for a moment, Lloyd sighed heavily. "Sometimes I wonder what it felt like to live during the war, not knowing if any day would be the last one you ever had. If the cost of death gets to be too much, just remember that you have given many more people a chance to have a longer than they would have if the ranch had not been destroyed." Genis gave him a teary look.

"I … I know, but …" he whispered, rubbing his eye with the back of a hand as he walked beside Lloyd. "But … I can't help but think about all those … why did they all have to …" Lloyd sighed and knelt before Genis, his wine red eyes locking onto the blue-grey one's of the young half-elf. Raine and Colette also stopped, watching, unsure of what to do at the moment. Lloyd rested a hand on top of Genis' head, and the younger male looked up at him, still rubbing his eyes. "Do … do you ever … get used to it?" He asked Lloyd softly. Lloyd sighed and shook his head in return.

"Get used to it? No, never … if you do, it means that you've lost your humanity completely." He said in return and glanced down at the ground; it was such a struggle for him to keep a grip onto his humanity, and there were more than a few times where it felt like he had lost control. "I have to tell myself more than once each day that if I don't fight back, who will? The world won't change if we simply sit around and wait for it to happen, because then nobody would have the courage to do anything."

"And … what about the nightmares?" Genis asked, looking at his feet again as he tried to rub his eyes dry. "Will they ever go away?" Lloyd nodded slowly, and Genis drew a shaky breath again. "A … alright … I'll try to … remember that." He stated shakily, to which he received a soft smile from Lloyd. The expression was so unusually gentle for the brunet that Genis stared, blinking twice to hide his shock. It was gone soon though, and Lloyd stood up to resume the walk towards the House of Salvation, Genis still tailing along at his side. Colette followed them after a moment, but Raine trailed behind.

Genis was getting too close to Lloyd; she didn't know what it was that made her dislike the bond that was forming between the mercenary and her brother, but something about it seemed to be … wrong. Maybe it was the fact that Lloyd's loyalties were still questionable, maybe it was merely jealousy that her little brother had another role model in his life, or maybe it was simply that she thought that Genis was growing up too fast around Lloyd. Whatever it was, she had a strong, almost relentless desire to stop their interaction before it grew even stronger. The thoughts that filled her mind were pushed aside as they reached the House of Salvation and were greeted with a welcome surprise.

"Dirk!" Colette smiled brightly at the site of the dwarf, who was talking with Neil and one of remaining members of the Palmacosta militia. Upon hearing his name, however, Dirk turned around and smiled up at the Chosen and the rest of the group. He stared for a moment or so when he was introduced to Lloyd, but didn't make any comment on it. "What are you doing all the way out here, though? I thought they might need you back out in Iselia." Colette continued, breaking the dwarf's stare away from Lloyd to turn to her.

"I heard dat they needed some help up here. Seems like I came at a good time." Dirk chuckled, glancing at the ranch escapees around them. There were few that did not have an Exsphere somewhere on their person, and it seemed like more than half were closer to death than life. The pastors that worked at the House of Salvation were busy attending to the escapees, feeding and healing them to the best of their ability. Raine, seeing such, left the group to help out as best as she could while being exhausted, most of her attention on the children that had been kept at the ranch. Noticing such, Dirk sighed heavily. "I never thought I'da have te make so many Key Crests at on' time …" There seemed to be sorrow in the dwarf's voice, making Lloyd wince suddenly and pull away from Colette and Genis.

"I … should go talk with Cacoa … both of you get some rest." He murmured, vanishing before either of the younger travelers could object. Looking at one another and sighing, Colette and Genis bid Lloyd and Dirk goodnight, heading upstairs to the room that had been left for them. Once they reached it and had settled down, Genis collapsed onto a bed, shedding his boots and pack as he did so, snuggling into the warm covers. Colette sat on the edge of the other bed and took off her own shoes, eventually bending her legs so that she could rest her chin on her knees as she hugged her legs.

"Are you alright, Genis?" She asked after a moment, to which the young half-elf nodded his head, but didn't respond with words. Colette sighed softly and laid back across the bed, staring out the window at the brilliant starry sky. Why were things suddenly so complicated? Nobody had ever said a thing about how cruel the Desians truly were, or about how vicious the monsters along the way were. 'Iselia is so sheltered …' Colette realized dimly, exhaustion creeping up on her. 'we live in an area with little to no monsters, the Desians have a non-aggression treaty with the village … nobody else has that luxury.' A small twinge of guilt surged through Colette, and she was about to berate herself more when Lloyd entered the room, weary eyed. Worried, Colette turned to him. "Lloyd, are you …?" She asked.

Lloyd glanced up from the floor at her, and then shook his head. "You should rest, Colette. We've had a long day." Colette, startled to hear Lloyd call her by her name, nodded with a blush and slipped under the covers before beginning to fake her sleep. Lloyd gave the girl a sympathetic look before he leaned on the window, Leila crawling out of the wingpack to sit on his shoulder. When she rubbed her head against his cheek, Lloyd sighed and asked her mentally, **"Did I do the right thing, Leila?"**

"**You did the only thing that you could, and you were gentle about it." **Leila reassured him, winding her tail gently around his neck. **"You didn't try to withhold the truth from Cacao, and when all is said and done, I believe that she was half expecting to hear the news as well … and it's best that she heard it from you, not some passerby that would make it sound worse than it was."** Lloyd sighed and leaned his head against the window frame, his eyes fixed on where Palmacosta laid, hidden over the horizon followed his gaze, and she too remembered the seemingly random attack from the Palmacosta militia man while at the Thoda Geyser. **"Do you want me to go and see what is going on over in Palmacosta for you? I'll be back soonest." **Lloyd nodded weakly.

'**Be careful.'** He told Leila, who snorted as she took to the wing, sailing out of the window and gliding quietly towards the south-west golden scales shining in the moonlight. With a sigh, Lloyd stepped away from the window and removed his swords. Placing them on the ground, Lloyd sat down and leaned against the wall, and to all appearances fell asleep. He only stirred once when Raine walked into the room and went to bed herself, but apart from that, he remained motionless.

'_It's about time I was able to talk with you again.'_ Origin humphed when Lloyd noticed the spirit king's presence. _'You've been occupied so much otherwise that I haven't managed to get a word in.'_ Lloyd mentally gulped, and he braced himself for the oncoming tirade; Origin was quite vocal when it came to his opinions, Lloyd had found out. Not seeming to notice Lloyd's gulp, Origin began, _'That display of yours in the Human Ranch was a little extraneous, don't you think? Raine is more than likely suspicious of you. On top of that, despite the claim you hold that you loathe having people refer to your father as the War Demon, you seem to live up to that name eagerly.'_ Origin had hit a sore spot; Lloyd winced physically, but didn't respond.

The two sat in silence for a while, Origin apparently still fuming in some way. Lloyd sighed after a moment, his thoughts slowly drifting away to Sheena. He missed her terribly, and he wanted to hold her so badly … even just catching a glimpse of her at the geyser had been enough to whet his appetite for her, and with the uncertainty of what was going on, Lloyd didn't know if he and Sheena could manage another secret get together without anyone knowing about it.

Deciding that thinking about it would only give him a headache, Lloyd closed his eyes and began to meditate, another part of him wondering what was going on in Palmacosta. Hopefully Leila would be alright; Lloyd smirked at that; if Leila knew he was worrying about her, she'd whap him upside the head with her tail. 'Please be safe, Leila …'

Origin, who listened into Lloyd's mental conversation with himself, felt some of his fury at Lloyd drain from him. '_It was probably because of the fact that he was fighting Desians'._ He decided, still slightly irate. '_Hopefully his rage wasn't extreme enough to ruin his cover … And now I am more glad than ever that Kvar is in Ereshkigal's dungeons.'_

-鳳-

_(Palmacosta …)_  
Leila landed quietly on the outskirts of the city, not bothering to return to her normal traveling size as she slipped into the shadowy city. Already the signs of tragedy and horror were building up around her, and she wasn't shocked to see dead militia men amongst the destruction. '**What on earth happened here?' **She thought to herself, stepping over the dead bodies, making sure her tail didn't cause damage to the roads. Stopping, she studied one body, noticing with interest that there was a series of deep talon wounds, the outer two longer than the inner one. **'Did some sort of monster escape into the village …?'**

Sitting up on her haunches, Leila scanned the village from her position near the center plaza; the most amount of activity was near the lighthouse and that newfangled steamship the mortals who lived here were making. **"What could be going on over at that boat?"** Leila asked aloud, going down onto all fours and racing through the silent city to where the _Isabella _was moored. Stopping when she was in between the Governor-General's chambers and the church, she stared; an Exubla was near the boat's loading ramp, and what appeared to be every remaining resident of Palmacosta was holed up on the deck. All the screams showed that they were petrified and defenseless, even though a dozen of the militia were standing there, shaking as they held halberds between the boat and the Exubla.

Letting out a roar, Leila leaped into the air and flew at the boat, ignoring the even louder screams that hit the air in her presence. Shifting in midair, she dove for the Exubla, not to kill it, but to drive it out of the city. When it simply went to smack her with its claw, she roared at it again, molten fire dribbling out of the corners of her mouth. When the thing backed up slightly, her jaws closed for a moment before a burst of white and yellow fire shot from her maw. Although it didn't hit the Exubla, it certainly frightened it enough to make it turn and flee. Not trusting it to leave without attacking anyone else, Leila roared and leaped after it, a swipe from her tail extinguishing the flames.

It was at this moment that Dorr's daughter Kilia looked outside, poking her head out of the government building just as Leila's tail swung out of view. Curious, the small girl turned. "Father! Father, there was a dragon here!" She called, making Dorr look up from where he was crouched between his men, nursing a severely bleeding arm. Standing up, the adult walked outside in time to hear Leila roar once again, a flare of light showing where she and the Exubla were at in the city.

After a few moments of silence, Dorr nodded at his men, and turned to Kilia. "Stay here, Kilia; we will go see what is going on over at the lighthouse." Kilia reluctantly nodded, going back inside the building as her father and the rest of the militia left. With fast speed, Dorr and his men reached the lighthouse to find it under siege by a small group of Desians, all of them in the clothing of the Palmacosta Militia. As if sensing the approach of Dorr and his men, they turned their attentions from the lighthouse to them and charged. "So … there were traitors in our midst." Dorr growled to himself, shifting his grip on the halberd he used. A twinge raced up his injured arm, making him flinch and grasp at the wound.

"Governor-General, please, return to the office." The leader of the militia reassured him. "My men and I can handle the De – hit the deck!" Shouting, he pulled Dorr to the ground as Leila lunged over them, roaring at the Desians as she landed between them and the militia. The Desians, not expecting a dragon to lunge at them from nowhere, halted, some of them screaming out in fear; Leila was far larger than any of the dragnoid races that lived on Sylvarant, and all of them could see the fire building up in her maw.

Eyeing the men before her with one violet eye, Leila growled deeply, her tail swishing behind her in the air above Dorr and his men. She wasn't an imbecile; her sheer size would be a good enough shield for the mundanes beneath her as she was three times larger, but the Desians in front of her, and the lighthouse they were trying to enter, both needed to be burned. "So … trying to awaken your master's watcher in the lighthouse, are we?" She growled out in common, making several of the Desians shiver in fear. Giving them all a feral grin, Leila stated simply, "Well, let us see if I can't clear this situation up!" Letting out an earsplitting roar, Leila's head reared back as fire gathered into her mouth. Dorr and his men, as if sensing the immediate danger that they were in, got farther into the city as the dragon launched into the air.

Before any of the Desians could move in one direction or another, Leila's neck snapped forward, and a pillar of white and golden flames fired from her mouth, incinerating the men before her within moments. Dorr's men stared at the utter destruction, a few of them falling onto their knees and praying to Martel to spare them. Dorr merely watched the golden dragon as she flew over the fire she had set and dove for the lighthouse, roaring. Slowly, a dark energy surged up and away from the lighthouse, taking on the form of a giant serpent that wound around it, a glowing black gem in the center of its forehead, nestled among acid green scales. "So, you're one of those demons that ruddy owl told me about, eh?" Leila growled out, hovering just out of the serpents reach.

Hissing, the serpent lunged forward, trying to sink its fangs into Leila's throat. Leila jerked back and lashed out with her claws. While the blow did some damage, it wasn't what Leila had been expecting. **"Great; your overlord must be stronger than I thought."** She growled at the serpent before seeming to fly back a small distance. Before the serpent could relax, however, the dragon spun around and whapped it upside the head with her tail. The spines that raced down her entire back and tail drew blue blood as the serpent let out a shriek of pain, diving at the dragon again, this time partially unwinding itself from the lighthouse.

The smell of venom wafted over Leila's senses, making her shudder and fly back and up again. **'This isn't good; I guess I'll have to go full size now.'** She muttered to herself, wishing that she could remain the size she was; shifting her size took up more energy than one would think. **"Well, it's either that or letting this snake run rampant in this city … Go fer broke!" **With a loud roar, Leila let her magic flow over her, and she began to glow.

Observing this all was Dorr, his hands clapping over his ears as Leila's roar rang in the air. As he and his men continued to watch, the serpent hissed and reached out with poison dripping from its fangs, only to fly off of the lighthouse as Leila's tail smacked it aside once more, although the tail was much longer and thicker than before. When Leila was finally fully visible again, Dorr gasped; the gold dragon was now nearly twice as large as she had been before, and her roar shook the ground.

Before the serpent could react in time, Leila dove at it. Sinking her front talons into the scales to pin it down, she growled at it and bit down, ivory fangs sinking into scales to draw blue blood. The serpent let out a fierce, shrill shriek, thrashing madly in an attempt to get away from the dragon that was killing it. The writhing mass knocked several boats over and into the ocean alongside booths. The waters themselves were slowly turning a sickly navy color as the serpent finally stilled, the death throes ceasing as Leila finally let its corpse dropped from her fangs. Staring at it for a moment, she lunged forward once again and ripped the gem from its place in the serpent's forehead, taking off into the air once it was secure in her talons. With a last roar, she set the remains on fire, the blaze burning bright enough to make Dorr and his men turn away from the sheer heat. What stalls weren't in the water began to blaze, but were extinguished when Leila flapped her wings again and flew off, shrinking back down to her traveling size when Dorr lost sight of her behind a building.

"We've angered Martel … we've angered the Goddess, I know we have. That beast will return and set us all aflame …" One of the militia members moaned, still kneeling on the ground, his voice pitched in fright. Dorr looked at the man, torn between belittling the man and letting him be; considering the sheer size of the dragon that had swooped down upon them, it made sense that Martel would send such a beast to punish sinners. But it wouldn't do the man any good to fall apart like he was. With a scowl, Dorr pulled the weeping man up by his arm and gave the order for them all to return to the government building, fingers still gripping at his bleeding arm. They all still had their lives, and the Desians that had been trying to turn his militia force inside out had been killed, despite the great toll of lost property.

The thought made Dorr groan and shake his head in misery; the merchants and boat captains were going to be demanding compensations out of the government for months …

-鳳-

The next morning dawned bright when Raine woke up and looked around. Colette and Genis were both up and dressed, both of them clean in spite of the blood that had splattered on everyone during their battle the previous day. Lloyd was nowhere to be found at first, but he soon entered the room, shirtless, drying his hair with a towel. Raine and Colette both stared, although for very different reasons; it would only take one look at the massive blush spread across Colette's face to know why she was infatuated, but there was something else that had caught Raine's attention. "Lloyd, where on earth did you get that … tattoo?" She finally asked, unable to find a better word for the marking that seemed to burn on Lloyd's right shoulder blade.

Lloyd stopped and reached for the tattoo. "Oh, you mean this?" He asked, looking at Raine over the same shoulder. When she nodded, he shrugged. "It's a family tradition; my family is – was – old fashioned, and kept a coat of arms. All of the members of the family got the coat of arms tattooed onto a part of their body on their sixteenth birthday … it's supposed to be a coming of age rite or something, never understood it personally."

"A solitary wing with burning feathers and seven stars seems like an odd coat of arms to me." Raine pointed out, her fingers tracing the shape in the air. Lloyd shrugged his shoulders, as if saying he didn't understand it either, and pulled on his shirt and duster, hiding the tattoo from view. Although it was no longer in her line of vision, something about the mark stuck out at Raine, and she asked softly, "Lloyd, what is it about your past that keeps you from telling us about it?"

"… I have my own reasons. If I told you, you'd probably fear me as much as you fear the Desians." Lloyd stated softly, not daring to give away more than was necessary. The tattoo was just that, a tattoo, nothing special about it. Kratos had also had the design inked onto his body, wrapped around his left forearm. "But I can promise you, all that the tattoo signifies is my family ties, nothing more, nothing less. Don't read too far into it." He finished, to which Raine mostly relaxed, although Lloyd knew that she was still staring at him suspiciously. Mercifully, however, she let the subject drop and wandered off to prepare for the day herself, leaving the three alone.

"Lloyd, I don't think Raine trusts you." Genis stated quietly after a moment, repressing a yawn as he stood up. Lloyd shrugged in indifference, adjusting his twin swords so that they rested more comfortably on his back. Genis laughed at that. "Don't tell me; you never asked her to trust you, you're just here to make sure that we don't die on the way, right? No wonder Raine doesn't trust you all that much. But … if you were here just to do that, I don't think you'd be trying as hard as you are to make sure that I don't get in the way, me being the youngest of our group and all that." He said sardonically, to which Lloyd gave a light laugh.

"You're a smart kid." He responded simply, leaning over and ruffling Genis' hair in a brief display of affection. If Raine had been in the room, she would have tensed and tried to get Lloyd away from her brother as quickly as possible. As it was, Genis laughed nervously and swatted Lloyd's hand away, although he was touched by both the compliment and the gesture. Colette watched them both with a smile on her face, and after a moment, she shyly stood up and walked over to Lloyd. Before the two males could comment, she wrapped Lloyd in a large, warm hug, burying her face in his chest to hide the massive blush that was stealing over her face.

"He's right though, Lloyd; we'd all be dead if you weren't here." She murmured, and Lloyd could feel her smiling against his chest. "Thank you for staying with us …" For the first time in ages – hell, since Sheena kissed him for the first time – Lloyd blushed slightly, and gave Colette an awkward hug in return, glaring at Genis as the younger began to cackle madly at the moment. Even that didn't stop Genis from giggling, and he just about burst a lung laughing as Colette finally pulled away from Lloyd, stared at him while her face turned a bright red color faster than Genis' lightning spell, and finally squeaked and turned away from him and jogged to the door, running face first into Raine as the half-elf entered the room.

Lloyd couldn't fully express the moment in any possible wording, so he did what felt completely natural; he facepalmed.

This of course only served to make Genis laugh so hard that he fell off of the bed, but he was past the point where pain would make him calm down, and he continued to laugh until Lloyd upended a canteen of water over his head. "Feeling better?" Lloyd asked in a dry voice as Genis spluttered and shook the water out of his face. Genis had the decency to look embarrassed as he nodded and stood up, grabbing his bag and putting it over his shoulder as Lloyd grabbed his and did the same. Raine picked up hers and Colette's as Lloyd asked, "Shall we join the group to head back to Palmacosta?"

"Actually, reinforcements from Palmacosta itself just arrived to help with that; apparently a group of Desians infiltrated the Militia, but they were taken care of last night." Neil stood at the open doorway to their room, looking like he'd been crying for a good chunk of the night. Lloyd winced as he finally remembered that Neil had always crushed so hard on Chocolat for so long that her dying like she had was clearly hurting him. Not letting that distract him, Neil drew a shaky breath and nodded at them all. "I think that with Magnius and his Desians gone, it would be best for your group to continue on with the World Regeneration, Chosen one. Dirk has already promised to come along with us and see to it that the Exspheres will be removed safely."

"Alright then … you did good work, Neil." Raine nodded at the young man, feeling very thankful that everything was finally starting to turn up for the city. "It's good to hear that, and please tell Dorr that the Desians won't bother this area again; their ranch is gone." Neil nodded in understanding, but Raine, her curiosity now quipped, asked, "But how were the Desians taken care of?"

"From what the men told me, a great, golden dragon swooped down upon the Desians in the middle of the night, roaring and breathing fire." Neil shrugged and shook his head, as if the whole idea was ludicrous. "Why a dragon would bother with a group of Desians is beyond me, but as I wasn't there, I suppose I have no right to say anything against those men; they seemed very rattled by the whole thing. I think I would be too if I had been there."

Lloyd made a mental note to talk with Leila as soon as she returned; that dragon was getting herself into worse trouble than he was …

-鳳-

The group was a few days outside of Asgard, and Lloyd had taken Genis a short distance away from the girls so that they could train when Leila finally returned. Circling twice, she finally dropped onto Lloyd's shoulder as he and Genis both sat down, sipping from canteens. **"Bloody owl, she wanted me to come back as soon as I ran into one of those obnoxious things …" **She grumbled, rubbing her head against Lloyd's cheek. **"So how have things been while I was gone?" **She asked, waving a wing idly in Genis' direction when the young half elf said hello.

"They've been quiet, nothing too spectacular." Lloyd reassured her, reaching over his shoulder to scratch her between her shoulder blades. "We heard about the show you put on over at Palmacosta though; any real reason you were so over the top?" He asked, but rolled his eyes in amusement when he heard light dragon snoring coming from Leila's mouth. "The goof wore herself right out …" Lloyd smiled and shook his head, gently lifting Leila and dropping her into his wing pack.

"You sent her to check on Palmacosta, didn't you?" Genis asked, to which Lloyd grinned sheepishly back at him. "… You really are a nice guy, Lloyd; you just need to work on showing it more often than you do. How else are you going to ever convince Raine that you're not going to turn around and slit our throats at a moment's notice?" Lloyd laughed at that, ignoring the twinge of guilt that bit at his heart.

"I think that woman will be suspicious of me until the day I draw my last breath." He chortled, shaking his head. "My loyalties, she might stop being suspicious of them eventually, but as long as the Chosen clings to me like she does, I don't doubt she'll always think I'm up to something or another behind her back." Genis laughed, but he had to agree with Lloyd at his words.

The two lapsed into silence for a good long while, but Genis finally spoke up. "Hey, Lloyd? Why do you think that Desians exist?" He asked, the question having nagged at his mind for a while now. Lloyd let out a deep sigh, lying down in the grass beneath them, folding his arms behind his head as he contemplated which answer he could give.

"I don't know, Genis, but considering how poorly most half-elves are treated for no logical grounds, I can't say I blame them for existing." He sighed heavily again as Genis laid down next to him, looking at the older boy with a confused expression. "Humans … well, not all humans, but the good majority of them, they're ignorantly biased. It's the way we were all raised; All Desians are half-elves and evil, so all half-elves are the same way." A grimace crossed over Lloyd's face, and he looked at Genis. "They completely forget that when Sylvarant flourishes, they turn on the half-elves that had previously oppressed them – or their children – and put them through hell. The cycle just keeps going on and on, when a little kindness would go so much farther …"

Genis looked at Lloyd for a moment, and then stared up at the sky as the sun set, twilight stealing over them all with a hushed whisper. "But you don't seem to be like that at all; you don't like the Desians, but I've never heard you speak bad of half-elves in general." He pointed out, but then remembered. "That's right; you were raised by a half-elf, right?"

"Yeah." Lloyd nodded. "Even if I wasn't, it doesn't make any sense for me to hate a half-elf that's never done anything to anyone just because they're the same race as a Desian. It's almost as stupid as someone hating all dogs because a certain one attacked them. Scared of them, that I can understand, but honestly, what harm can a child do? Children will often do things differently than their parents, given the chance." Lloyd's eyes closed for a moment, and he began to savor the irony of what he had just said; he was doing exactly what he was talking about, going a completely different way from his father.

… Wasn't he?? …

-鳳-

_Holy shit, look at what's being updated!!! :O _

_I'm sorry this took so long to update; distractions, homework, and other obligations got in the way, never mind the total block on how to go about this chapter for a while. ^^; Thanks for being so paitent with me, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait._

_we WILL be in Asgard next chapter, I promise!! I can't guaruntee the gang will find out about Lloyd and Sheena's relationship then, but at least it's getting closer than before!!_

_Review, please!_


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